Months after defending her from troll, Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian exults seeing Olympian Alaysha Johnson get Paris Fashion Week nod

Serena Williams's husband Alexis Ohanian has offered his congratulations to Olympic hurdler Alaysha Johnson. The 2024 Paris Olympic finalist has revealed that she'll be returning to The City of Light, but this time as a runway model. Ohanian, a long-time supporter and investor in women's track and field in the US, often comments on a range of US sports.

Alexis Ohanian is the entrepreneur husband of 23-time Major singles winner Serena Williams, and has previously suggested that getting traction for women's sports is akin to the early days of Reddit, which he founded. Ohanian, who is worth $150 million (per Celebrity Net Worth), also has an interest in women's basketball, men's soccer and golf.

Johnson announced on her X (formerly Twitter) account that her modeling career was about to take a step forward. She posted:

"First Paris as an Olympian to Paris as a RUNWAY MODEL. OMG, I almost fainted typing this."

Immediately, Armenian businessman Ohanian responded with his congratulations:

"You deserve it all"

Ealexis Ohanian Twitter (https://x.com/alexisohanian/status/1898158336039960978)

28-year-old Johnson finished second at the US Olympic trials in a personal best time of 12.31. That performance secured her place on the US Olympic team, where she competed in the 100m hurdles in Paris and placed seventh in the Olympic final.

Ohanian has been a Johnson supporter for some time. After she qualified at the Olympic trials in early 2024, she was criticized by conservative commentator Michael Knowles, who insisted on X that she was not "paving a way from black people in running". Ohanian shot back in her defence:

"Don't give this clown any of the attention he craves"

Screenshot of Alexis Ohanian X Account (https://x.com/alexisohanian?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor)

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Alexis Ohanian and Serena Williams are serial investors in US sport, including track and field

Opening Ceremony - Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 0 - Source: Getty

Ohanian, who was once described by Forbes as the "Mayor of the Internet", announced in early 2024 that his venture capital firm, Seven Seven Six, would be investing in women's track and field. Following that, he inaugurated the 776 Invitational event, which offered the largest purse in women's track in history. The winner received $60,000, while second place earned $25,000. Ohanian told ESPN that he was committed to women's athletics:

"I was shocked when I found out what the current highest one was [$30,000 for a final event in the Diamond League]. There is a healthy tension that exists, which is the prize money should be directly correlated or related to the sort of scale and scope of the event itself. This is an amazing set of humans who you're going to be captivated by during the Olympics, and you're going to see in a whole other way at the 776 Invitational."

Together with his wife, Ohanian is also the principal owner of Angel City FC, while Serena Williams holds a minority stake in the NFL’s Miami Dolphins. The couple are also major investors in Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy's fledgling TGL venture, as part owners of the Los Angeles Golf Club.