By Adam Kilgore
NEW YORK (Washington Post) — Alexis Ohanian, the billionaire co-founder of Reddit and husband of Serena Williams, had some questions for one of the fastest female sprinters in the world.
Already a co-owner of a professional women’s soccer franchise, Ohanian developed a sudden curiosity in women’s track and field last year. He reached out to Gabby Thomas, an Olympic medalist who figures to be one of the faces of the Paris Games this summer, and picked her brain.
“Can the track be laid out like an F-1 circuit, so it’s not like an oval every time?” Ohanian asked at one point.
In Ohanian’s recollection, Thomas replied, “That’s a terrible idea.”
Ohanian and Thomas kept talking, and his interest in women’s track and field led to a stage inside Chelsea Factory on Tuesday afternoon at the Business of Women’s Sports Summit. Seated next to Thomas, Ohanian announced an unprecedented investment in women’s track and field.