'Love to see more spectators' - was Grand Slam Track a success?
From empty stands and absent superstars to innovative formats and unusual match-ups - did the inaugural Grand Slam Track meeting deliver?The 12 athletes who left Kingston, Jamaica this weekend with an additional $100,000 (£77,500) after competing in just two events might suggest it was a huge success.However, huge swathes of empty seats at the National Stadium led to the feeling that the innovative new format, the brainchild of four-time Olympic champion Michael Johnson, has work to do in order to capture an audience."Obviously, look, let's be honest. We would love to see more spectators here, you know?" Johnson said."We think we'll get that, we think that'll happen. But the crowd was engaged, and that's what's really important. People were really engaged with what's happening here."American Johnson said he launched the concept, broadcast on TNT Sports in the UK, in a bid to maintain the attention and excitement athletics generates every four years at the Olympics.The event in Jamaica was the first of four scheduled three-day events - each of the next three take place in the United States - and Johnson was pleased with how it played out, although he admitted there are issues to iron out."Everything went smooth from a competition standpoint," Johnson added. "But we had a few things behind the scenes that we didn't like."Other people probably didn't notice it, but we did. We will look at everything. We noticed lots of different things. But those aren't the things we're going to get into right now."Right now we're just celebrating that we had a great event, athletes and fans enjoyed it. We'll continue to improve."
How does Grand Slam Track work?
A total of 96 athletes competed across three days in Jamaica, with 48 of those signed up to the four-meet season as 'Racers' while the remaining half are 'Challengers', who will swap in and out.The male and female competitors are subdivided into six categories - each containing eight athletes - such as Short Sprints, with the eight featuring in that group competing in the 100m and 200m each weekend.Athletes win points for their finishing position in both races, with their combined tally determining the champion at each slam and securing the winner $100,000 (£79,500).
Britain's Olympic medallist Matthew Hudson-Smith, who won 400m silver at Paris 2024, is one of the 'Racers' signed up for the season.In Jamaica, he won the 200m race and came second in the 400m to top the combined standings and claim the top prize.Of the 12 champions, nine were 'Racers' with the victors from the 'Challengers', including Emmanuel Wanyonyi.The Kenyan specialises in the 800m but stunned a high-calibre 1500m field, beating Yared Nuguse and Olympic gold medallist Cole Hocker, who finished second and third respectively, while Britain's Josh Kerr, the reigning 1500m world champion finished fifth.Wanyonyi came second in the 800m to amass 20 overall points and finish top of the Short Distance standings.Jamaican Danielle Williams and Ethiopian Ejgayehu Taye were the other two 'Challengers' to cause an upset.
Jury still out for some elite contenders
Olympic medallists Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Gabby Thomas, Kenny Bednarek, Fred Kerley, Daryll Neita and Dina Asher-Smith are among the high-profile names signed up, but some of the biggest stars from the 2024 Olympics were notably missing.American Noah Lyles, who won 100m gold in Paris, British 1500m Olympic gold medallist Keely Hodgkinson and double gold medallist Jakob Ingebrigtsen opted to steer clear of the event.A growing calendar could be the reason some are yet to commit.Athletes have a third World Championships in the space of four years to prepare for in Tokyo in September, while many were involved in the World Indoor Championships in China in March.The Diamond League will also once again hold 15 meetings across 2025 with record prize money totalling $9.2m (£7.3m) on offer.Johnson's Grand Slam Track format has a prize pot of $12.6m (£10m) with the 48 contracted 'Racers' also receiving a base salary to compete at all four slams."I heard them on the home stretch - '$100,000 on the line' - and so it really motivated me," Thomas, who finished as the Long Sprints champion, said.The next meet runs from 2-4 May in Miami before moving to Philadelphia between 30 May and 1 June and the final event takes place in Los Angeles from 27-29 June.
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