Serena Williams’ husband Alexis Ohanian comes to the aid of Filipino athlete who won three races running without shoes

Alexis Ohanian has offered to buy sports gear for Filipino athlete Rhea Bullos.

Serena Williams’ husband Alexis Ohanian comes to the aid of Filipino athlete who won three races running without shoes

Joel Omotto 13:00 - 27.03.2025

Alexis Ohanian has stayed true to his passion of lifting women in sports after offering to fully kit a Filipino athlete who was forced to run without shoes.

Philippine athlete Rhea Bullos is set to receive a boost after Alexis Ohanian, the husband to tennis legend Serena Williams, offered to fully kit her after her plight was highlighted on social media.

Bullos, 11, made headlines when it was revealed that she could not afford track shoes during a past athletics event in her country but still went ahead to win three races.

Due to her family’s financial challenges, Bullos was forced to improvise so that she could compete in a school championship when she wrapped plasters on her feat to compete at the Iloilo Schools Sports Council Meet.

The youngster still went on to win gold medals in three events, the 400m, 800m and 1,500m, overcoming her challenging circumstances.

Her touching story has now been shared online and among those touched is Ohanian, the founder of the hugely-successful women’s only Athlos event.

The Reddit co-founder asked his followers on X to help him get in touch with the 11-year-old budding runner so that he could buy near sports gear for her.

“Someone please put me @athlos team in touch with Rhea's family. I'm gonna personally buy her all the gear she needs for a season,” Ohanian posted on his X account.

The businessman is passionate about women in sports and it is from this that he started Athlos, aimed not only to give female track stars a platform, but also ensure they earn well.

At Athlos, winners of each race were pocketing $60,000 at the inaugural edition in 2024 and Ohanian has promised an even bigger event in 2025 with October 10 the date set for this year’s edition.

Ohanian also has interests in women’s soccer as he has a stake in National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) side Angel City FC through his venture capital firm Seven Seven Six.

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