Rhasidat Adeleke and Sophie O’Sullivan make up the Irish contingent at ATHLOS London this Friday, as one of the newest meetings in professional athletics leaves New York for the first time.
The pair will compete at StoneX Stadium on September 18th, with Adeleke entered in the 200m and O’Sullivan taking her place in the 800m. For Irish viewers, it is another chance to see two of the country’s leading athletes in action before the outdoor season comes to an end.
ATHLOS has only been around for two years, but it has already carved out a very different place on the calendar. So what exactly is it, and why has it attracted some of the biggest names in women’s athletics?
What is ATHLOS?
ATHLOS is a professional track and field meeting devoted entirely to women’s competition. It was created by Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian and his venture capital firm, Seven Seven Six, with the first edition held in New York in 2024.
The idea is to give leading female athletes a meeting in which they are the entire bill, rather than one part of a much larger programme. ATHLOS also puts greater prize money, athlete promotion and a more theatrical presentation at the heart of the event.
That means dramatic introductions, music, evening competition and Tiffany & Co crowns in place of the usual winners’ trophies. The sport remains the main business, but it is packaged more like a major night of entertainment than a traditional athletics meeting.
There is a financial purpose behind the production too. Every athlete earns prize money, while eligible competitors are also offered equity in ATHLOS. Gabby Thomas and Sha’Carri Richardson are among the athlete owners and advisers helping to shape its direction.
How did ATHLOS begin?
The first ATHLOS meeting took place at Icahn Stadium in New York on September 26th, 2024. A total of 36 athletes competed across six events, with six women in each field.
Faith Kipyegon, Marileidy Paulino and Brittany Brown were among the inaugural winners. Each champion received 60,000 US dollars and a custom Tiffany crown, while a live performance from Megan Thee Stallion completed the night.
ATHLOS returned to New York on October 10th, 2025. The programme grew to seven disciplines through the arrival of the long jump, while the mile replaced the 1500m. Keely Hodgkinson won the 800m in 1:56.53, Brown completed a sprint double and Kipyegon took the mile in 4:17.78.
London now represents the next step. It is the first ATHLOS meeting outside the United States and will feature the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, mile, 100m hurdles and long jump. Six athletes will compete in each discipline.
First prize in every event has risen to 65,000 US dollars. Second place is worth 35,000 dollars, with prize money continuing down to 6,000 dollars for sixth. That leaves more than one million dollars available across the seven events on Friday night.
What happened to ATHLOS New York?
London was originally due to be the opening round of a two city ATHLOS season. A second meeting was scheduled for New York on October 2nd, with points from both nights intended to decide the overall champions.
Adeleke had been announced for the 200m at both meetings. However, ATHLOS cancelled the New York event in late August because of a scheduling conflict and said its future dates would be brought into closer alignment with the main international season from 2027.
That leaves London as the only ATHLOS meeting of 2026. The current format will see each event winner at StoneX Stadium receive the prize money and Tiffany crown.
Adeleke returns after Budapest
Adeleke was confirmed for London in July and will line up over 200m after a season shaped by her return from a hamstring injury.
The Tallaght athlete won the Irish title before taking European silver in Birmingham with an Irish record of 22.28 seconds. She most recently raced at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, clocking 22.81 to finish fifth in her semi final and missing the final by one place.
Friday brings Adeleke another 200m test just five days after her race in Budapest.
O’Sullivan earns late invitation
O’Sullivan was added to the 800m field last week following a major run of progress over two laps.
She broke two minutes for the first time with 1:59.65 in London on August 9th, then lowered her best to 1:58.60 in Brescia on August 30th. That moved her to second on the Irish all time list, just 0.09 seconds behind Ciara Mageean’s national record.
The Ballymore Cobh athlete followed it with 1:59.23 in Trier, giving her three consecutive races under two minutes. Her ATHLOS debut will bring another significant test, with defending champion Hodgkinson among those entered in the 800m.
How can you watch ATHLOS London?
The main event begins at 7pm Irish time on Friday. The BBC is the official broadcast partner in the United Kingdom, with coverage available across its digital platforms.
ATHLOS has also included YouTube among its broadcast platforms for 2026 and has its own official channel. Run Republic will publish a full viewing guide on Friday with direct links, the complete timetable and the Irish start times for Adeleke and O’Sullivan.
For now, the short version is simple. Two Irish athletes, seven events, serious prize money and a meeting trying to present women’s athletics on its own terms. London will provide the first proper test of how well the ATHLOS idea can travel.
