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Grand Slam Track

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Grand Slam Track
Current season, competition or edition:
Current sports event 2025 Grand Slam Track
SportAthletics
Founded2024
Official websiteGrand Slam Track

Grand Slam Track is a professional track and field league, first announced in 2024 by American former Olympic champion sprinter Michael Johnson. The first season ran from April to June 2025. After being initially announced in February 2024, the name of the league and other details were announced at a June 2024 press conference in Los Angeles hosted by John Anderson.[1]

Development

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Former sprinter Michael Johnson, who had had the idea for Grand Slam Track since the 1990s,[2] announced in February 2024 his intention to launch a track and field league in 2025. It was announced that the league would include a series of events during the track season between April and September, though events ended up only running through June.[3][4] Johnson, along with billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, were reported to be investing millions of their own money in the league.[5][6]

The announcement of the League in February 2024 came with the stated aims to increase and boost the sport of track and field in public consciousness and to promote the sport outside the four-yearly cycle of Olympic Games.[7] One of the aims is for the Track and Field League to resemble other sports leagues, with global athletes.[8] As opposed to once every four years like the Olympic Games, the Grand Slam Track league will occur four times every year.[4]

In May 2024, former middle-distance runner Kyle Merber confirmed he was employed as Senior Director of Racing.[9] Olympic champion and former sprinter Morolake Akinosun was announced as the Head of Athlete Relations in September 2024.

Among the first athletes to sign-up for the events in June 2024 were double Olympic champion 400 m hurdler Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and 2023 world champion and 2024 Olympic silver medalist in the 1500 m Josh Kerr.[10][11][12] In September 2024, it was confirmed that Cole Hocker and Yared Nuguse, the 2024 Olympic gold and bronze medalists respectively in the 1500 metres, had signed onto the league.[13] During this month sprinters Kenny Bednarek and Fred Kerley also signed onto the league.[14]

On 13 September 2024, LetsRun.com reported that the Grand Slam Track meet locations would be in Los Angeles, New York City, Kingston, Jamaica, and Birmingham, with the events being held during two weeks in April and two weeks in May, noting that they had not yet confirmed the information with a second source.[15] In November 2024, Grand Slam Track officially announced the four locations as Kingston, Los Angeles, Miramar, and Philadelphia.[16]

By 19 December 2024, the entire set of racers for the 2025 season was announced. The roster included 13 individual global gold medalists, although notable omissions included Noah Lyles and Sha'Carri Richardson.[17][18]

On 12 June 2025, it was announced that the Los Angeles Slam was cancelled for various reasons, including the current "geopolitical climate of LA" and a "poor lease agreement with UCLA".[19]

Overview

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The league has four "slams," also known as meets, which take place in a season from April through June.[4] In each slam, there are six event categories for males and females, listed below. Each event category features two disciplines that competitors will compete in over the course of a weekend.[2]

For each category, there are eight competitors in total. Four of these are the "Grand Slam Racers," who, at the beginning of the season, make the starting list of each of the four Grand Slam events, for a total of 48 consistent athletes present in each slam (four racers in six categories, male and female). They are chosen based on their world rankings and merits and are among the best in the world. The other four competitors are the "Grand Slam Challengers," who are emerging athletes and are attempting to earn a spot as a Grand Slam Racer for the following season. The Challengers will vary between Grand Slam events based on recent performances and potential matchups.[2]

From first to eighth place, points are distributed as follows for each individual event: 12, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1.[a] The athlete with the best combined score between the two events in their category is deemed the winner, or Slam champion, of that specific meet. Should there be a tie, the highest individual finishing placement between the two will win the Slam. If the tie persists, then the lowest combined time is utilized as a tiebreaker.[2]

At the conclusion of the season, one male and one female athlete are crowned the "Racer of the Year" based on their cumulative points earned across all four Slams.[2]

Event categories

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Event Category First Event Second Event
Short Sprints 100 m 200 m
Short Hurdles 100 m hurdles (W)
110 m hurdles (M) 		100 m flat
Long Sprints 200 m 400 m
Long Hurdles 400 m hurdles 400 m flat
Short Distance 800 m 1500 m
Long Distance[note 1] 3000 m 5000 m

Prize money

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The Grand Slam Track league offers a chance for athletes, should they win each of the four[note 2] Slams in their event category, to win upwards of US$400,000[note 3] in a single season.[2][note 4]

Place Prize money per slam
1st $100,000
2nd $50,000
3rd $30,000
4th $25,000
5th $20,000
6th $15,000
7th $12,500
8th $10,000

Broadcast

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In February 2025, Grand Slam Track announced agreements with The CW, an over-the-air network, and the streaming service Peacock in the United States. All events stream on Peacock, while The CW airs weekend coverage. NBC, whose parent company owns Peacock, also airs a highlight special.[22]

Editions

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The league officially launched in June 2024, prior to its 2025 debut season.[23]

Season Info Kingston Slam Miami Slam Philadelphia Slam Los Angeles Slam
2025 Venue, City, Country Independence Park, Kingston, Jamaica Ansin Sports Complex, Miami, USA Franklin Field, Philadelphia, USA Drake Stadium, Los Angeles, USA
Date April 4–6 May 2–4 May 31 – June 1 Cancelled[24][note 5]

Slam winners

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Key: (R) = Racer / (C) = Challenger

2025 season

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Men

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Event Category Kingston Miami Philadelphia Racer of the Year[25]
Short Sprints  Kenny Bednarek (USA) (R)  Kenny Bednarek (USA) (R)
Short Hurdles  Sasha Zhoya (FRA) (R)  Trey Cunningham (USA) (C)  Jamal Britt (USA) (C)
Long Sprints  Matthew Hudson-Smith (GBR) (R)  Jereem Richards (TTO) (R)  Matthew Hudson-Smith (GBR) (R)
Long Hurdles  Alison dos Santos (BRA) (R)  Trevor Bassitt (USA) (C)
Short Distance  Emmanuel Wanyonyi (KEN) (C)  Josh Kerr (GBR) (R)  Marco Arop (CAN) (R)
Long Distance  Grant Fisher (USA) (R)  Nico Young (USA) (C)

Women

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Event Category Kingston Miami Philadelphia Racer of the Year[26]
Short Sprints  Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (USA) (R)  Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (USA) (R)
Short Hurdles  Danielle Williams (JAM) (C)  Ackera Nugent (JAM) (R)
Long Sprints  Gabrielle Thomas (USA) (R)  Marileidy Paulino (DOM) (R)
Long Hurdles  Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA) (R)  Jasmine Jones (USA) (R)
Short Distance  Diribe Welteji (ETH) (R)  Freweyni Hailu (ETH) (C)  Diribe Welteji (ETH) (R)
Long Distance  Ejgayehu Taye (ETH) (C)  Agnes Jebet Ngetich (KEN) (R)  Agnes Jebet Ngetich (KEN) (R)

League records

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Key: (R) = Racer / (C) = Challenger

Men

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Event Record Athlete Nation Date Slam Ref
100 m 9.86 (+0.8 m/s) Kenny Bednarek (R)  United States 1 June 2025 2025 Philadelphia [27]
200 m 19.84 (+0.2 m/s) Kenny Bednarek (R)  United States 4 May 2025 2025 Miami [28]
400 m 43.98 Jacory Patterson (C)  United States 3 May 2025 2025 Miami
800 m 1:43.38 Marco Arop (R)  Canada 31 May 2025 2025 Philadelphia [27]
1500 m 3:34.44 Josh Kerr (R)  Great Britain 1 June 2025 2025 Philadelphia
3000 m 7:51.55 Hagos Gebrhiwet (R)  Ethiopia 6 April 2025 2025 Kingston [29]
5000 m 13:40.32 Grant Fisher (R)  United States 4 May 2025 2025 Miami [28]
110 m hurdles 13.00 (+1.4 m/s) Trey Cunningham (C)  United States 3 May 2025 2025 Miami
400 m hurdles 47.61 Alison dos Santos (R)  Brazil 4 April 2025 2025 Kingston [29]

Women

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Event Record Athlete Nation Date Slam Ref
100 m 10.73 (+1.3 m/s) Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (R)  United States 1 June 2025 2025 Philadelphia [27]
200 m 21.95 (+1.1 m/s) Gabrielle Thomas (R)  United States 3 May 2025 2025 Miami [28]
400 m 48.67 Salwa Eid Naser (R)  Bahrain 5 April 2025 2025 Kingston [29]
800 m 1:58.23 Nikki Hiltz (R)  United States 4 April 2025 2025 Kingston
1500 m 3:58.04 Diribe Welteji (R)  Ethiopia 31 May 2025 2025 Philadelphia [27]
3000 m 8:22.72 Hirut Meshesha (C)  Ethiopia 4 May 2025 2025 Miami [29]
5000 m 14:25.80 Agnes Jebet Ngetich (R)  Kenya 2 May 2025 2025 Miami [28]
100 m hurdles 12.17 (+2.0 m/s) Masai Russell (R)  United States 2 May 2025 2025 Miami
400 m hurdles 52.07 Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (R)  United States 3 May 2025 2025 Miami

Notes

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  1. ^ Changed to 3000 m only at the 2025 Philadelphia Slam
  2. ^ Three for 2025 season
  3. ^ US$300,000.00 for 2025 season
  4. ^ At the 2025 Philadelphia Slam, prize money was halved for the Long Distance event category, since only one event was contested.
  5. ^ Originally scheduled for June 27–29
  1. ^ Points were originally announced in 2024 as 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1, but by 2025 before the first Slam, the points system was changed to award 12 points to the winner instead of 10.[20][21]

References

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  1. ^ Jan, Paras (April 25, 2024). "Michael Johnson Secures $30 Million For A New Track And Field League". Forbes. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Details and Information About Grand Slam Track". www.grandslamtrack.com. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  3. ^ Axon, Rachel (April 23, 2024). "Michael Johnson secures funds for new track league". Sport Business Journal. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "The new global league by legendary sprinter Michael Johnson". Grand Slam Track. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
  5. ^ Rashid Dar, Zahid (February 27, 2024). "Track Legend Michael Johnson Splurges $14 Million of Net Worth on Exclusive Project to Benefit Sport". Essentially Sports. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  6. ^ Bachman, Rachel (June 18, 2024). "Michael Johnson Has a Plan to Save Track. He Wants to Make It More Like Tennis". The Wall Street Journal.
  7. ^ Jackson, Eric (February 27, 2024). "Michael Johnson, Winners Alliance to Create Fan-Focused Track League". Sportico.com. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  8. ^ Hardy, Matt (February 27, 2024). "Michael Johnson to co-found professional track and field league". City AM. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  9. ^ Meyers, Christaline (May 1, 2024). "Olympic Legend Michael Johnson's $30 Million-Backed 'Unnamed' Track League Secures Support From Decorated American Athlete". Essentially Sports. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  10. ^ "World Champion Josh Kerr Confirmed For 2025 Grand Slam Track League". June 28, 2024. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  11. ^ Zeigler, Martyn (June 27, 2024). "lJosh Kerr signs up to Michael Johnson's new Grand Slam Track league". The Times. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  12. ^ "Champion hurdler Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone first to sign with 'Grand Slam Track'". RTE. June 18, 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  13. ^ Davern, John (September 4, 2024). "Cole Hocker and Yared Nuguse Sign With Grand Slam Track". FloTrack. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  14. ^ Dragon, Tyler. "Michael Johnson's Grand Slam Track adds two more Olympic medalists". USA TODAY. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  15. ^ "SC: Jakob back on top, half on Sunday, Sha'carri fades, Blake beats Americans, Brussels Day 1". LetsRun.com. September 13, 2024. Event occurs at 25:24.
  16. ^ "Grand Slam Track Names Host Cities in U.S., Jamaica". sportico.com. November 15, 2024. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
  17. ^ "Massive Track and Field Snub as Noah Lyles and Sha'Carri Richardson Absent From Major Announcement". essentiallysports.com. December 19, 2024. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
  18. ^ "Grand Slam Track: All 30 athletes currently signed as Sha'Carri Richardson and Noah Lyles remain missing". pulsesports.ng. October 25, 2024. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
  19. ^ Kaplan, Daniel (2025-06-12). "Grand Slam Track Cancels LA Meet as $30M Track Startup Wobbles". Front Office Sports. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  20. ^ "What and who is behind the new Grand Slam Track League?". Athletics Illustrated. October 24, 2024. Retrieved April 2, 2025.
  21. ^ "What is Grand Slam Track? New athletics league explained". radiotimes.com. April 2, 2025. Retrieved April 2, 2025.
  22. ^ "Grand Slam Track™, founded by four-time Olympic champion Michael Johnson, announces media rights partnerships with the Cw network and NBC Sports to present its inaugural season". NBC Sports Pressbox. February 3, 2025. Retrieved February 3, 2025.
  23. ^ Sim, Josh (April 24, 2024). "Michael Johnson raises more than US$30m for new track league". Sportsmedia.com. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  24. ^ Kaplan, Daniel (2025-06-12). "Grand Slam Track Cancels LA Meet as $30M Track Startup Wobbles". Front Office Sports. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  25. ^ "Grand Slam Track | The new global league by legendary sprinter Michael Johnson". www.grandslamtrack.com. Retrieved 2025-06-13.
  26. ^ "Grand Slam Track | The new global league by legendary sprinter Michael Johnson". www.grandslamtrack.com. Retrieved 2025-06-13.
  27. ^ a b c d "Grand Slam Track Philadelphia - Results". World Athletics. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  28. ^ a b c d "Grand Slam Track Miami - Results". World Athletics. Retrieved May 6, 2025.
  29. ^ a b c d "Grand Slam Track Kingston - Results". World Athletics. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
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