"Lot of times, we're paying attention to just the top 1% of athletes" - Gabby Thomas on problems Athlos NYC is trying to solve in women's track

American sprint sensation Gabby Thomas recently highlighted the key areas required for improvement in track meets to ensure athletes don't miss out on opportunities ahead of her participation at the Athlos NYC meet. Thomas will be in action at the women’s exclusive track meet following her exploits at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

At the Paris Olympics, Thomas rose to global prominence after claiming three gold medals. She became the Olympic champion in the women’s individual 200m and was a pivotal member of the USA’s women’s 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams.

Ahead of competing in the Athlos NYC, which will be her final meet of the 2024 season, Thomas shared her thoughts on how track meets can evolve to serve the athletes in a better way via Citius Mag.

The 27-year-old said (7:16 onwards):

“I was thinking if we could have a voice and the production and the operations of the track meet. I mean that would be incredible and that's what we have here. Definitely more prize money. A lot of times athletes’ really can't afford to race.”

She also believed that while the audiences often focus on the top one percent of athletes, many others lack the financial means to compete and miss out on opportunities.

"A lot of times we're paying attention to just the top 1% of athletes who are competing, but there are a lot more who just can't afford to do all of this and have these opportunities. So, I think it's really important that they have the opportunity to make a living and make money. Yeah, I think those are the top two," Thomas said.

Notably, Athlos NYC aims to address these aforementioned issues by offering the largest cash prize for female athletes, with the winner receiving $60,000 in each discipline. The athletes who achieve second to sixth place will also earn prize money.

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Gabby Thomas opens up on what made her sign the Athlos NYC

Gabby Thomas. (Photo by Image Photo Agency/Getty Images)

Gabby Thomas opened up on the reason behind signing the Athlos NYC, launched by Serena Williams’ husband Alexis Ohanian. In the same interview, she mentioned the reason why she was thrilled to join the meet (0.08 onwards):

“When Alexis first came to me, I was really excited about the idea. He's obviously a visionary and has a great track record in supporting and investing in women's sport so I thought perfect opportunity for track and field. I knew we had a great product. Alexis was really eager to learn about it and he wanted to learn about what we wanted to see in track meets, what we wanted to see happen and what we could do better in this sport and that's really what this is about."

It is worth noting that the meet, which is set for its inaugural edition, has been categorized as a Continental Tour Silver Level meeting by the World Athletics. In addition, the grand opening ceremony of Athlos NYC will feature American star rapper and singer Megan Thee Stallion as the musical performer on Thursday, September 26.