By Dorcas Francis Koji
Nigeria’s world record holder Tobi Amusan has been confirmed for the London and New York editions of Athlos, the all-female track and field series scheduled to take place in September and October.
The Nigerian sprint hurdler will compete in her speciality, the women’s 100m hurdles, as Athlos expands to London for the first time in 2026 while returning to New York for a third consecutive year.
“The world record holder is coming to Athlos. Tobi is taking on what she does best, the 100m hurdles. Watch her compete this fall at ATHLOS LDN & NYC!” the organisers announced on Wednesday.
The London event will be held at StoneX Stadium on September 18, while the New York meeting is scheduled for October 2 at Icahn Stadium.
Athlos was founded by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian and made its debut at Icahn Stadium in New York on September 26, 2024. The series is designed exclusively for female track and field athletes and aims to provide greater visibility, financial rewards and opportunities for women in athletics.
Ohanian has described his ambition for Athlos as creating the “Formula 1 of track and field” as the competition continues to expand.
Amusan will line up alongside a number of leading international athletes already confirmed for the two events, including American stars Sha’Carri Richardson, Gabby Thomas, Tara Woodhall-Davis and Masai Russell, as well as Dominican Republic sprinter Marileidy Paulino.
The London event will be staged at the home of rugby union club Saracens in Barnet before the series moves to New York two weeks later.
A total of seven disciplines will be contested at both venues: the 100m hurdles, 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, mile and long jump.
Athletes will accumulate points from their performances, with the combined scores determining the overall winner at each meeting.
The competition also offers substantial financial rewards, with a total prize purse of $2.1 million (£1.5 million).
Athletes can earn as much as $65,000 for winning an individual event, while overall champions will receive an additional $25,000.
An athlete who wins an event in both London and New York could therefore earn up to $155,000.
Beyond prize money, Athlos is also offering participating athletes equity in the league, allowing them to potentially benefit from its future growth.
“The cash compensates their participation and success, and the equity recognises what we’re building together,” Ohanian previously told the BBC.
He added that the equity was intended to create a genuine partnership between the athletes and the competition, giving the sport’s leading women a greater stake in its development.
For Amusan, the Athlos appearances provide another opportunity to compete against some of the world’s best athletes as she continues to build on her status as one of Nigeria’s most successful track and field stars.
The 100m hurdles world record holder will now be one of the headline attractions when Athlos makes its London debut before returning to New York in October.
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