By NAN SPORTS Editor
Information Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Mon. Oct. 13, 2025: It was a second of pure grace and greatness when Jamaican Olympian and dash icon Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was topped by tennis legend Serena Williams on the ATHLOS NYC 2025 occasion on Friday evening, Oct. 10, 2025. The five-time Olympic champion and world ambassador for girls in sport was honored for “a lifetime of velocity, excellence, and legacy,” receiving a glittering Tiffany crown in entrance of a roaring crowd at Icahn Stadium in New York Metropolis.
The occasion — the brainchild of Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit and husband of Serena Williams — was designed to have a good time feminine athletes not simply as rivals, however as cultural leaders. ATHLOS NYC 2025 was greater than a monitor meet; it was an electrical celebration of sport, sisterhood, and empowerment.
A Crown Match for a Queen of Velocity
When Serena Williams positioned the Tiffany crown on Fraser-Pryce’s head, the symbolism was highly effective — one legend passing the torch to a different. Fraser-Pryce, identified affectionately because the “Pocket Rocket,” has been the face of ladies’s sprinting for over a decade, inspiring athletes worldwide along with her consistency, humility, and longevity. Her crowning second represented greater than athletic dominance — it was a worldwide salute to resilience and the elevation of ladies’s excellence.
“I’m honored to face right here and have a good time somebody who has impressed so many, not solely in monitor and area however throughout all of sports activities,” Williams mentioned, earlier than bestowing the crown. “That is what sisterhood and legacy seem like.”
A Night time The place Girls Took Middle Stage
ATHLOS NYC 2025 unfolded over two unforgettable nights — “She Jumps” in Occasions Sq. on October ninth, which showcased the world’s prime feminine lengthy jumpers, and “She Runs” on October tenth at Icahn Stadium, that includes elite rivals within the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, mile, and lengthy bounce occasions. The power was electrical as girls athletes dominated the highlight, cheered on by an viewers that included Issa Rae, Queen Latifah, Gayle King, Suni Lee, Sha’Carri Richardson, Taste Flav, and Ciara, who introduced the home down with a show-stopping efficiency.
Past competitors, ATHLOS was about connection. The occasion emphasised mentorship, collaboration, and recognition — celebrating trailblazers who’ve damaged information whereas breaking obstacles. Winners took house $60,000 checks, Tiffany crowns, and, maybe most meaningfully, public flowers for his or her achievements.
Redefining Girls’s Sports activities
Athlos is altering the panorama for girls athletes. Not like many sports activities leagues the place feminine athletes typically lack monetary parity, this all-female platform offers athletes a direct stake of their success. Each competitor receives a ten% share of occasion income — a revolutionary enterprise mannequin that places energy again into the arms of the performers.
As Alexis Ohanian shared, the objective is easy: “Athlos is about creating possession, visibility, and alternative. Feminine athletes need to be stakeholders of their sport — not simply individuals.”
For stars like Sha’Carri Richardson, Gabby Thomas, Tara Davis-Woodhall, and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, ATHLOS isn’t simply an occasion — it’s a motion. It’s a name for girls to take up area, construct fairness, and have a good time one another’s wins.
A Celebration of Resilience and Excellence
All through the evening, conversations centered round perseverance and function. Lengthy bounce champion Tara Davis-Woodhall opened up about battling nervousness and melancholy, urging younger girls to not let struggles outline them. “You’re the one who defines your self,” she mentioned. “These bullies can kick rocks. Your mind is highly effective — you are able to do something you set your thoughts to.”
Three-time gold medalist Gabby Thomas echoed that sentiment: “For each medal you see, there’s a complete season of ache, grind, and unseen work. Success comes from believing you belong — and dealing for it each day.”
Passing the Torch, Lighting the Approach
Because the evening got here to an in depth, the picture of Serena Williams crowning Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce grew to become an on the spot traditional — a second that captured all the things ATHLOS stands for: legacy, empowerment, and the shared journey of ladies redefining greatness.
Fraser-Pryce’s profession could also be outlined by medals, however on this evening, it was outlined by that means — and by the crown that symbolized what she’s constructed: a legacy that evokes generations of ladies to run towards their goals.
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