Alexis Ohanian and Michael Johnson have been at odds ever since Johnson launched Grand Slam Track (GST) with billionaire Bill Ackman, a direct rival to Ohanian’s Athlos. GST entered the scene with bold promises, bigger paychecks, brighter spotlights, and more opportunities for athletes. But when ticket sales tanked, reality hit Johnson hard. Sponsors pulled out, leaving the track legend scrambling to keep his brainchild alive.
Now, in a surprising twist, Johnson recently extended an olive branch to Ohanian—only for the former Reddit co-founder to seemingly reject it, instead gearing up with a fresh challenge aimed straight at GST.
When GST was launched, one of its terms and conditions required athletes to obtain permission before competing in other meets. Alexis Ohanian lashed out at Michael Johnson and the members of GST, accusing them of turning the sport into a private endeavor. In response, GST issued a statement assuring that athletes participating in their events would still be allowed to compete in the Diamond League and one-off events without prior approval.
Well, time has passed since then, and things have gone downhill for GST, and so are the promotions now down in allegations. Amidst this chaos, Ohanian has come forward with a subtle new challenge for Johnson and his GST. While having a conversation with CNBC TV, Ohanian was asked to explain the league in detail by the host, and he dropped some bombs. “So we’re modeling this inspired a lot by NCAA track and field, so there’s a point system. Imagine your favorite runners in the world—Sha’Carri Richardson could now finally be competing on a team with Tara Davis-Woodhall. One is a sprinter, the other one’s a long jumper.”
He further added, “But by having a team-based track and field meet, you’re going to have all those events in probably three cities next year. I won’t commit to how many. New York is our home base, and we’re obviously going to take care of New York City again next year. So imagine a few different locations, Friday nights under the lights, and having this team-based model so that your athletes are not just competing for themselves—they’re also competing for a big team prize at the end. Just the same way you might root for Lewis Hamilton but, at the same time, want to see Ferrari win the cup, we’ll have the same concept.”
Credits: IMAGO
While Athlos is all set to host its second edition on October 10, 2025, at Icahn Stadium in New York City, there’s no sign of GST on the timeline.
Along with Ohanian, Gabby Thomas is part of the ownership group of Athlos Track & Field League, joining alongside Sha’Carri Richardson and Tara Davis-Woodhall. She did take part in the Grand Slam Track, though, but has been reported to have “snubbed” GST in favor of Athlos.
With Gabby Thomas out of the equation now, it would certainly be difficult for Johnson to restart his operations, considering that he is already entangled in legal disputes over athlete payments and has yet to commit to resolving them.
As Athlos continues to grow, GST is quietly fading from the industry. Meanwhile, interestingly, Johnson himself has extended a hand of friendship toward Ohanian.
Michael Johnson offers to end the bad blood with Alexis Ohanian
Fairly recently, on the Ready Set Go podcast’s August 1 episode, the veteran sprinter was asked whether he would be willing to take Ohanian’s phone call, if it ever came, and consider a partnership. Johnson immediately stated that he holds no hard feelings against him and would certainly take his call. “I said this even before this. I’ll talk to anybody in the sport, and have. You talked about the Diamond League earlier. So first of all, just to answer your question directly, I pick up the phone and say, ‘You know, what’s up, man? Let’s talk about the sport that we all care about,’” said Johnson.
He further added, “Again, we all might be different in terms of how we want to approach the change in the sport, but we all want to see the sport change for the better, right?” Keeping their bad blood apart, Johnson expressed that to make this sport lively again, he would shake hands with his former rival.
Johnson confessed that he had invested his own money in the league, and more than the athletes, it was he who lost money. However, he assured the athletes that he would take responsibility and give them their share. So, while things might look a bit dim for Michael Johnson right now, things may turn around soon…
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