Women's Only Global Race With Ksh7.7M Prize Money That Faith Kipyegon Will Compete In

Kenya's three-time Olympic champion, Faith Kipyegon, has one more race to contend with for this season. Set to take place on Thursday, September 26 at the Icahn Stadium in New York, United States (US), this athletics event will feature only female athletes.

Kipyegon was invited to the Athlos Meet and will be set to participate in the event in the 1500m track. By now, you who are reading this should know that this is her favourite race, and the three successive Olympic titles in that discipline will clearly show.

She will not be alone. A total of 36 female athletes will be competing in six events during the meet and they include Paris 2024 Olympic champions Gabby Thomas, Masai Russell and Marileidy Paulino as well as Marie Josee Talou-Smith, Brittany Brown, Lieke Klaver, Mary Moraa, Tsige Duguma, Halima Nakaayi, Susan Ejore-Sanders and Gudaf Tsegay.

Named after the Greek word for athletics, the meeting is intended to highlight women's track and field and make the sport a spectator-friendly experience by simplifying the number of events down to six. Athlos will include the 100 m, 100 m hurdles, 200 m, 400 m, 800 m, and 1500 m.

Collage of Gabby Thomas, Faith Kipyegon, Mary Moraa and Alexis Holmes set to compete at Athlos Meet on September 26, 2024. /VIRAL TEA KE

The Athlos Meet, which was founded by Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian, is one of the highest-paying events, with Ohanian announcing that the prize money would be hefty. It is an invite-only race.

“We want to bring something to this sport that hasn't quite been done before. It’s a privilege to invest in women athletes,” he said ahead of the unique women-only event, adding, “We’ve set a record with our Ksh7.7 million (USD60,000) cash prize, double what an athlete would earn at the end of a typical season.”

The total prize pot has been set at Ksh14.3 million (USD110,500) per race, with the winners set to take home Ksh7.7 million (USD60,000). Second-placed finishers will pocket Ksh3.2 million (USD25,000) while third-place finishers will get Ksh1.2 million (USD10,000). 

Athletes who end in fourth, fifth and sixth position will not walk away empty-handed, as they will also take home Ksh1.03 million (USD 8,000), Ksh645,872 (USD5,000) and Kshh322,936 (USD2,500) respectively.

Other than the athletics events, the meet will also feature musical performances by DJ D-Nice and Megan Thee Stallion.

The Athlos NYC meet is approved by World Athletics and is part of the World Athletics Continental Tour (Silver Level).

Kipyegon has followed up her astounding season in 2023 in style this year. In 2023, she broke three world records; the world mile, 1500m race and 5000m race. She also won two world titles, becoming the first woman to win both 1500m and 5000m titles in a single world championship competition.

In 2024, she began with a win in the Paris Diamond League where she shattered her own 1500m record. She followed up this win with another impressive showing at the Paris Olympics where she secured an Olympic gold and set a record in the 1500m (3:51.29) in the process.

Another victory followed for Kipyegon in the Rome Diamond League finals, which she won by clocking 3:54.75. Finally, she secured victory in the Diamond League 1500m finals in Brussels, clocking 3:54.75.

Full List Of Athletes Competing in Athlos Meet

100m Hurdles

1. Danielle Williams (Jamaica)

2. Alaysha Johnson (United States)

3. Charisma Taylor (Bahamas)

4. Masai Russell (United States)

5. Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (Puerto Rico)

6. Tonea Marshall (United States)

100m

1. Zoe Hobbs (New Zealand)

2. Celera Barnes (United States)

3. Candace Hill (United States)

4. Marie Josée Ta Lou (Ivory Coast)

5. Brittany Brown (United States)

6. Daryl Neita (Great Britain)

200m

1. Torrie Lewis (Australia)

2. Jenna Prandini (United States)

3. Tamara Clark (United States)

4. Brittany Brown (United States)

5. Gabby Thomas (United States)

6. Anavia Battle (United States)

400m

1. Leike Klaver (Netherlands)

2. Mariledy Paulino (Dominican Republic)

3. Salwa Naser (Bahrain)

4. Lynna Irby-Jackson (United States)

5. Shamier Little (United States)

6. Alexis Holmes (United States)

800m

1. Natoya Goule-Toppin (Jamaica)

2. Halimah Nakaayi (Uganda)

3. Nia Akins (United States)

4. Tsige Duguma (Ethiopia)

5. Mary Moraa (Kenya)

6. Addy Wiley (United States)

1500m

1. Faith Kipyegon (Kenya)

2. Katie Snowden (Great Britain)

3. Gudaf Tseguy (Ethiopia)

4. Diribe Welteji (Ethiopia)

5. Cory McGee (United States)

6. Susan Ejore (Kenya)

How To Watch the Meet: At 7:00 p.m. ET (2.00 am Kenyan Time), you can tune in and watch the meet on Athlos’ X and YouTube page. Sports channels ESPN+ and DAZN will also stream the meet live.

Faith Kipyegon celebrates after winning the women's 1500m at the Brussels Diamond League on September 14, 2024. /FAITH KIPYEGON