Some of the globe’s finest track professional athletes contend in a brand-new expert organization that makes its launching today.
Here are the solution to one of the most regularly asked concerns regarding Grand Slam Track prior to its very first drop in Kingston, Jamaica, on Friday.
Why was this organization developed?
Grand Slam Track is the creation of American dashing excellent,Michael Johnson The four-time Olympic champ and eight-time globe champ thinks that track has actually had a trouble obtaining its largest celebrities to contend versus each other exterior of the Olympic Games and globe champions.
Johnson, that is additionally commissioner of the brand-new organization, informed The Wall Street Journal in 2024 that the purpose “is to provide that sort of head-to-head competition, that drama, the stakes, and tell those stories around all of that compelling drama as well – four times a year.”
Johnson entered into even more information regarding the ‘why’ of Grand Slam Track in a meeting with CBC Sports factor Morgan Campbell:
SEE|Johnson reviews his brand-new professional track organization:
The four-time Olympic champ takes a seat with host Morgan Campbell simply days far from the launching of the Grand Slam Track occasion in Kingston, Jamaica.
How is it various than the Diamond League?
There are a number of distinctions, yet the major contrasts are:
- The variety of occasions: Four Grand Slams versus 15 Diamond League quits
- Grand Slam Track stresses neck and neck matches in between the exact same professional athletes, where Diamond League areas look significantly various from quit to quit
- Prize cash: Grand Slam individuals are paid a base cost and contend for a much bigger reward swimming pool (much more on that particular listed below)
- Runners contend in 2 various races at each Grand Slam occasion
How does it function?
As the name may indicate, the Grand Slam Track period is opposed over 4 satisfies in 4 various cities. A total amount of 96 professional athletes will certainly contend– 48 males and 48 females.
With the previously mentioned focus on ‘neck and neck matches,’ half of those joggers (24 males and 24 females) have actually dedicated to run at every quit on the Grand Slam circuit. Those specific professional athletes are called ‘racers.’
The partner of the area, called ‘oppositions,’ will certainly be picked on a per-Slam basis. The requirements for the choice of oppositions thinks about current efficiencies and professional athletes that would certainly produce appealing matches.
All professional athletes will certainly contend in among 6 occasion teams:
- Short sprints ( 100m, 200m)
- Long sprints ( 200m, 400m)
- Short difficulties ( 100m difficulties [women] / 110m difficulties [men], 100m level [both])
- Long difficulties ( 400m difficulties, 400m level)
- Short range ( 800m, 1,500 m)
- Long range ( 3,000 m, 5,000 m)
Each team will certainly have its 8 professional athletes run both various occasions at each Grand Slam fulfill. Runners will certainly gather factors for their cause each occasion, which are based on a gliding range:
- 1st: 12 factors
- second: 8 factors
- 3rd: 6 factors
- fourth: 5 factors
- 5th: 4 factors
- sixth: 3 factors
- 7th: 2 factors
- 8th: 1 factor
The jogger with one of the most collective factors from their 2 races at a Grand Slam is proclaimed the champion of their occasion team and proclaimed a Slam champ.
By completion of the period, both rivals that gain one of the most factors throughout all Slams– one from the males’s teams and one from the females’s teams — will certainly be crowned ‘Racer of the Year.’
Why exist no area occasions?
Johnson has actually stated that his organization thinks that professional athletes need to have the wholehearted focus of those enjoying them contend. That implies one occasion at once, which suitable in area occasions over the two-and-a-half hours of program time was not an alternative.
Who will contend?
Grand Slam Track flaunts some heavyweights that have actually joined to be racers, consisting of ruling Olympic champs like Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone ( females’s 400m difficulties), Gabby Thomas (females’s 200m), and Cole Hocker (males’s 1,500 m).
Men’s 100m sprinters Fred Kerley and Kenny Bednarek are additionally dedicated to the 4 Grand Slam occasions.
Marco Arop is the single Canadian racer in Grand Slam Track, yet it’s feasible that even more Canadians can be picked to contend as oppositions, as Charles Philibert-Thiboutot is for the Kingston competitors.
Here’s a complete checklist of the joggers that will certainly contend at every Grand Slam occasion:
Men’s racer lineup
Short sprints
- Kenny Bednarek, United States
- Zharnel Hughes, Great Britain
- Fred Kerley, United States
- Oblique Seville, Jamaica
Long sprints
- Quincy Hall, United States
- Matthew Hudson-Smith, Great Britain
- Jereem Richards, Trinidad and Tobago
- Muzala Samukonga, Zambia
Short difficulties
- Devon Allen, United States
- Freddie Crittenden, United States
- Daniel Roberts, United States
- Sasha Zhoya, France
Long difficulties
- Roshawn Clarke, Jamaica
- Caleb Dean, United States
- Alison dos Santos, Brazil
- Cl ément Ducos, France
Short range
- Marco Arop, Canada
- Josh Kerr, Great Britain
- Cole Hocker, United States
- Yared Nuguse, United States
Long range
- Grant Fisher, United States
- Hagos Gebrhiwet, Ethiopia
- Luis Grijalva, Guatemala
- Ronald Kwemoi, Kenya
Women’s racer lineup
Short sprints
- Brittany Brown, United States
- Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, United States
- Daryll Neita, Great Britain
- Gabby Thomas, United States
Long sprints
- Salwa Eid Nasser, Bahrain
- Alexis Holmes, United States
- Marileidy Paulinho, Dominican Republic
- Nickisha Pryce, Jamaica
Short difficulties
- Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, Puerto Rico
- Ackera Nugent, Jamaica
- Masai Russell, United States
- Cyr éna Samba-Mayela, France
Long difficulties
- Rushell Clayton, Jamaica
- Jasmine Jones, United States
- Shamier Little, United States
- Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, United States
Short range
- Nikki Hiltz, United States
- Jess Hull, Australia
- Mary Moraa, Kenya
- Diribe Welteji, Ethiopia
Long range
- Elise Cranny, United States
- Tsige Gebreselama, Ethiopia
- Agnes Negtich, Kenya
- Nozomi Tanaka, Japan
What’s on the line?
Racers completing in Grand Slam Track occasions get a yearly base payment to contend in all 4 Slams, while oppositions gain a per-Slam cost.
Both teams will certainly additionally contend for a share of the $12.6 M United States complete reward swimming pool.
The complete payment for each and every of the occasion teams, per Slam, is as adheres to:
- 1st: $100,000
- second: $50,000
- 3rd: $30,000
- fourth: $25,000
- 5th: $20,000
- sixth: $15,000
- 7th: $12,500
- 8th: $10,000
If one racer was to win each of their Grand Slam occasions, they would certainly leave with $400,000 in cash prize.
SEE |Track’s brand-new professional organization, the Grand Slam of Track, discussed:
Four- time Olympic champ Michael Johnson is the male behind the brand-new expert track organization.
Where and when are the occasions taking place?
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Kingston, Jamaica (April 4-6)
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Miami (May 2-4)
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Philadelphia (May 30 – June 1)
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Los Angeles (June 27-29)
How can followers see the occasions?
All Grand Slam Track occasions will certainly be streamed reside on CBCSports ca and on CBCGem For a complete program timetable of sports occasions this period, visit this site
