"I just fainted"- Masai Russell, Hunter Woodhall, Anavia Battle & more react as Athlos by Serena Williams’ husband Alexis Ohanian set to welcome Ciara

Masai Russell, Anavia Battle, and others shared their reaction as Ciara was announced as Athlos
Masai Russell, Anavia Battle, and others shared their reaction as Ciara was announced as Athlos' official musical performer - Source: Getty

Athlos NYC, a professional women's only track and field league is set to welcome American singer Ciara as this year's musical performer, with many athletes such as Masai Russell, Hunter Woodhall, and Anavia Battle sharing their reactions. The league is owned by Serena Williams' husband and entrepreneur, Alexis Ohanian.

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Masai Russell will be competing at Athlos and is one of the many track stars who will be headlining the event. Russell is one of the most exciting talents in the nation, and is known for her performance at the Paris Olympics where she won a gold medal in the women's 100m hurdles. She will not be the only big name at Athlos this year, with Hunter Woodhall's wife Tara Davis-Woodhall also competing in the league's first ever field event on October 9th.

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In a post on the official Athlos Instagram account, they announced that Ciara will be headlining the musical performance for this year's event.

"Level Up 🔥 The incomparable @Ciara is bringing the heat to the ATHLOS NYC stage as this year’s musical performer!"
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Masai Russell commented on the post, writing:

"AYEEEE😍"

Hunter Woodhall also commented:

"Yooooo 🔥🔥🔥"

Anavia Battle expressed her happiness at the news as well, writing:

"i just fainted…QUEEN @ciara,"

Alexis Ohanian also wrote:

"Level up!!!"
Still taken from the official Athlos account (source: @athlos/Instagram)
Still taken from the official Athlos account (source: @athlos/Instagram)

Russell is set to compete at the World Championships in Tokyo this week, looking to win in the 100m hurdles. She earned her spot at the Worlds by winning the event at the USA Championships.

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Masai Russell reflects on disappointing performance at last World Championships in Budapest

Russell at the Diamond League Silesia meeting 2025 - Source: Getty
Russell at the Diamond League Silesia meeting 2025 - Source: Getty

Masai Russell discussed her performance at the Budapest World Championships in 2023 ahead of the Worlds in Tokyo this week. Russell advanced to the semi-final stage in the 100m hurdles but failed to make it to the finals.

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In an interview with World Athletics, she said:

“I think it had to happen for me to become who I am now. I had to take a step back. I think I was a little ahead of myself and I thought that I was going to do something that I wasn’t ready for."
"As much as Budapest hurt – it broke my heart – I had to go through that to get to where I am now.”

Masai Russell will be competing in the 100m hurdles this Saturday, September 13th with the heats to begin first.

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Edited by Harshvardhan Shankar
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