Serena Williams’ husband promises to send tens of thousands to female runner’s bank
Athlos founder Alexis Ohanian, who is married to tennis star Serena Williams, has promised to send Faith Kipyegon a huge sum if she breaks a world record.
Alexis Ohanian has shared his promise to Faith Kipyegon (Image: TGL Golf via Getty)
Serena Williams’ husband Alexis Ohanian has promised to pay runner Faith Kipyegon over £70k ahead of her record-breaking attempt. The three-time 1500m Olympic champion will aim to become the first woman to run a sub-four-minute mile on Thursday.
Kenyan star Kipyegon, 31, is dominant in her field. She is the only woman to win 1,500m gold at three successive Olympics and has clinched three World Championship titles over the same distance. Kipyegon has also been world champion and claimed Olympic silver in the 5,000m event. In 2023, she became the female world record holder in the mile, running 4:07.64 at a Diamond League meeting in Monaco. She aims to shave seven seconds off her time and will receive an eye-watering sum from Ohanian, who owns a stake in Chelsea Women, if she can achieve the feat.
The attempt will take place at the Athlos meeting in Paris, a women-only event started by the Reddit co-founder last year. Aiming to give women’s track and field more prestige outside of the Olympics, Ohanian, who married tennis great Williams in November 2017, said how much Kipyegon could receive if she is able to make history.
He posted on X: “We’ve got $100K (£73k) on @Kipyegon_Faith to break the world record!! And you better believe we’ll swiftly wire (just like for all our Athlos athletes at our record-breaking meet last year).”
Athletics brand Nike have been heavily involved in Kipyegon’s preparation and will live stream her run at the Stade Charlety on their YouTube, Instagram and TikTok accounts from 6:15 pm on Thursday. However, if the 31-year-old is successful, it will likely not be recognised as an official world record as she is expected to use a team of pacemakers and technologically advanced kit.
Faith Kipyegon won last year’s Athlos race (Image: Getty)
Nike has also produced a documentary centred around Kipyegon in the lead-up to her history-making attempt. The Breaking4: Faith Kipyegon vs. the 4-Minute Mile docuseries is available on Prime Video, which will also livestream her attempt to break the four-minute barrier.
She previously told reporters: “I’m a three-time Olympic champion. I’ve achieved World Championship titles. I thought, ‘What else? Why not dream outside the box?’ I want this attempt to say to women, ‘You can dream and make your dreams valid.’”
British runner Roger Bannister famously became the first man to run under a four-minute mile in May 1954. Meanwhile, compatriot Diane Leather was the first woman to run a sub-five-minute mile in the same month. The current men’s record was set by Moroccan runner Hicham El Guerrou with a time of 3:43.13 back in 1999.
The inaugural edition of Athlos took place last September and saw 36 athletes compete across six events: 100m, 100m hurdles, 200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m. This year’s event will also include the long jump.
The prize money ranged from around £1,800 ($2,500) for a sixth-place finish to £44,000 ($60,000) for the winner of each event. Kipyegon won the 1500m race last year and could earn considerably more if she succeeds in her ultimate goal.
Athlos is not Ohanian’s first foray into women’s sport. In 2020, he was the lead investor, alongside several other famous names, in National Women’s Soccer League franchise Angel City. He also purchased a 10 per cent stake in Chelsea Women this May.
