Sha'Carri Richardson or Gabby Thomas? Venture capitalist Alexis Ohanian weighs in on the face of USATF brand endorsements

Sha'Carri Richardson, Alexis Ohanian, and Gabby Thomas

Sha'Carri Richardson or Gabby Thomas? Venture capitalist Alexis Ohanian weighs in on the face of USATF brand endorsements

Funmilayo Fameso 01:48 - 19.08.2024

Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian made his choice on who should be the face of USATF brand endorsements between Sha'Carri Richardson and Gabby Thomas.

Venture capitalist and Tennis legend Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian has weighed in on the trending debate on who should be the face of USA Track and Field (USATF) brand endorsements between Sha'Carri Richardson and Gabby Thomas.

Both American track stars were medallists at Paris 2024 Games, with Richardson taking home the 100m silver medal and anchoring Team USA's 4x100m relay squad to gold, while Thomas was crowned the queen of athletics after claiming three titles in the 200m, 4x100m, and 4x400m.

Sha'Carri Richardson, Gabby Thomas, Tee Tee Terry, and Melissa Jefferson won the Olympic 4x100m gold medal in Paris

Following their successful outings, the track community continues to ponder which of these stars is superior to the other and Ohanian has arrived with his take on the matter. 

In a recent post by The Erin Brown on X, he asked track connoisseurs whom they would pick among Gabby Thomas and Sha’Carri to promote their brands with limited funds.

Venture capitalist Alexis Ohanian

"Let's Kill This Whole Debate If You Had $20,000 As A Business Owner To Put Behind One Of These Women (Sha'Carri Richardson & Gabby Thomas) To Market Your Brand/ Sell Product/ Influence Demand, etc. Which One Are You Choosing?," he wrote.

With diversifying answers to the question, Ohanian made it clear that either of the athletes could be chosen for the task without throwing any shade at the other.

“The only correct answer is BOTH,” responded the Reddit co-founder without picking any sides.

Ohanian's investment in women's athletics and partnership with Gabby Thomas

In April 2024, the billionaire venture capitalist took an interest in athletics and announced his partnership with Thomas in sponsoring a women-only track meet after the Paris Olympic Games.

The groundbreaking project set to be organised by his Seven Seven Six venture capital firm will sponsor the track event called Athlos (Previously 776 Invitational) with the tournament expected to revolutionize women’s sports with its massive prize pool.

Gabby Thomas speaking on the 776 Invitational partnership with Alexis Ohanian. Photo Credit - @itsgabbyt

Scheduled to take place on September 26 after the Paris Olympics and with a funding of $30 million already secured, it offers the largest-ever purse for a women-only competition. Across all races, the winner will take home $60,000, $25,000 for second place, and $10,000 will go to the third position.

In light of the benevolent prize purse, track fans are naturally eager to see how things pan out for the athletes participating in the tournament, with Thomas and top track stars Faith Kipyegon and Alexis Holmes confirming their appearance, while Richardson is yet to announce her decision.

Gabby Thomas earns $180,000 from Ohanian after Paris Olympic exploits

After Thomas’ triple gold success at the Paris Olympics, Ohanian is set to pump over $100,000 cash prize on the Harvard graduate to follow up on the promise he made ahead of the Games.

Gabby Thomas had a record-breaking performance in Paris by winning three gold medals

“And to the 36 women running my @athlos NYC event Sept 26 for a record-breaking top prize of $60K—I’ll also pay you $60K if you win a gold medal here in #Paris2024💪.”

This means that with Thomas' three gold medals, her total earnings is a whopping $180,000.

While Thomas may have carted home with the most gold medals from Paris and is the face of his project, Ohanian still understands the visibility and market value Richardson brings, hence his diplomatic decision with both stars.

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