Latest news with #DinaAsher-Smith
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Michael Johnson cancels Grand Slam Track's LA meet amid financial concerns
Michael Johnson will cancel the fourth and final meet of the inaugural Grand Slam Track season in Los Angeles to avoid major financial losses at the event. Athletes and their representatives will be updated in a Zoom call on Thursday amid silence in the build-up to the LA leg scheduled for 28-29 June, after competing 'challenger' athletes were not announced ahead of time as they were before the previous three meets. Advertisement The Independent understands that the economics of the LA event, and Grand Slam Track's deal with its host partner, UCLA, had become financially unviable. New investors are set to be announced next week and sources inside Grand Slam Track suggested that making the best short-term financial decision was key to ensuring the longer-term outlook of the project. The Los Angeles leg will not be replaced with another host city and the season will instead come to a premature end. But organisers remain confident that Grand Slam Track will continue in 2026, with LA likely to be on the circuit, and have privately stressed the positives of what they insist has been a relatively successful 'pilot' year. Before the opening event in Kingston, Jamaica, Johnson's co-founder Steve Gera told The Independent that they were 'maniacally focused on having the youngest fanbase of any sports league in the world in the next five years'. Josh Kerr, Dina Asher-Smith, Fred Kerley and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone signed up to Grand Slam Track (Getty/The Independent) The star-studded list of athletes – which included US stars Kenny Bednarek, Gabrielle Thomas and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone as well as British names including Josh Kerr and Dina Asher-Smith – competed in two linked events, such as 100m and 200m sprints, with results combined to calculate the winners in each category. Prize money for winners stood at $100,000, with $50,000 for runners-up and $10,000 for eighth place. Advertisement The competition was billed as a much-needed shot in the arm for athletics, although the decision to include only track events and omit field disciplines was met with criticism. 'I am going to save what I think I can save,' Johnson explained. 'I think I can save track, I don't think I can save track and field.' But ticket sales have been slow and sponsorship and broadcast revenues have not met lofty expectations. The Times reports that organisers will save around £2.2m in prize money and travel expenses by cancelling the Los Angeles event. Some of the action has played out in half-empty stadiums, although the third event in Philadelphia was more popular, with close to 30,000 tickets sold over two days after the action was compressed from the three days of events held in Kingston and Miami. A disappointing crowd in Jamaica prompted organisers to review their locations for 2026, with a variety of other markets being considered, including European cities. Advertisement Gera told The Independent in March: 'We had discussions with a couple of different cities across the UK [but] that was a decision that we made to just focus on tightly packaging our run of shows [in the Americas] in year one. But we're really excited to get the product into Europe in the not too distant future.' Grand Slam Track is set to officially confirm its decision on the LA event later on Thursday. Organisers declined to comment.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dina Asher-Smith collects MBE from ‘funny and really charming' King
Sprint queen Dina Asher-Smith made a special trip from her training base in the US to collect her MBE and said it will help inspire other people. Asher-Smith, Britain's fastest female sprinter, is looking to compete in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay at the World Athletics Championships in September but the 'hard work' towards that competition is still being done now. The 29-year-old made a special trip from her training base in Texas to collect the MBE from the King at a ceremony at Windsor Castle on Tuesday. Looking at her medal, she said: 'For me, it is a very powerful emblem of what you do on the track being inspiring to other people and also having repercussions and positive influence far beyond the world of sport. 'When I started running, I just wanted to run faster. 'I did not imagine it would take me here. 'I didn't imagine it would take me to the Olympic Games or get me records or anything like that. 'I think it is just testament to the power of sport, the power of working hard, staying focused and dedicated. 'As with all of the recipients here today, it is about the power of hard work and it is nice to be celebrated for your great work.' Asher-Smith, who is originally from Orpington, Kent, said: 'It means a lot to be recognised by your country in this way. 'It is a great setting, a stunning castle and the King is really funny and really charming, so it has been a great day. 'He (the King) was very much amazed that I flew over from Texas to get this but I said 'Of course, you invited me so I wasn't going to miss this and this is such an honour'.' Asher-Smith said she is 'really excited' to be opening her outdoor season with a 4x400m relay race on Sunday in Austin, Texas. She added: 'We have quite a lot of time to build into our season. I am in Jamaica next week to run there. 'I am definitely in a great place (for the World Championships). I'm really excited for the season. I am excited to kickstart my outdoor season this weekend.' In 2023, Asher-Smith split with John Blackie, her coach of 19 years, nine months before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. She also made the bold decision to move to the US to work alongside a raft of top sprinters, including the new Olympic 100m champion Julien Alfred. Asher-Smith was left cursing herself after failing to reach the 100m final at the Olympics in Paris but followed it with strong late-season form at the Diamond League where she took the fight to new sprint queens including Alfred and Sha'Carri Richardson of the US. It included clocking a season's best 10.88 seconds to triumph in Switzerland, just shy of her 10.83-second British record. Asher-Smith was also looking forward to seeing Mr Blackie later on Tuesday, adding 'I'm really excited to celebrate my MBE with' him. She said: 'My previous coach could not do the travel any more. 'He is in a wheelchair right now so when it came to the Paris (2024 Olympic) year, the travel was quite challenging and that was something we both had a serious conversation about. 'As a person, I absolutely love him. He was my coach for 19 years.' Asher-Smith started breaking records at a young age, running a world-best 39.16 seconds in the 300m aged just 13. From working as a kit-bag carrier at the London 2012 Olympics, she enjoyed a successful appearance at the Rio 2016 Olympics, where she finished fifth in the 200m and won bronze as part of the 4x100m relay. Asher-Smith won 4x100m silver in the London Stadium at the 2017 World Championships, despite breaking her foot five months earlier. Victory in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay at the 2018 European Athletics Championships in Berlin made her the first British woman to achieve this sprint treble at a major championships. She won the 200m at the 2019 World Championships, along with a silver in the 100m.
The Independent
25-03-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Dina Asher-Smith collects MBE from ‘funny and really charming' King
Dina Asher-Smith made a special trip from her training base in the United States to collect her MBE and said it would help inspire other people. Asher-Smith, Britain's fastest female sprinter, is looking to compete in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay at the World Athletics Championships in September but the 'hard work' towards that competition is still being done now. The 29-year-old made a special trip from her training base in Texas to collect the MBE from the King at a ceremony at Windsor Castle on Tuesday. Looking at her medal, she said: 'For me, it is a very powerful emblem of what you do on the track, being inspiring to other people and also having repercussions and positive influence far beyond the world of sport. 'When I started running, I just wanted to run faster. I did not imagine it would take me here. 'I didn't imagine it would take me to the Olympic Games or get me records or anything like that. 'I think it is just testament to the power of sport, the power of working hard, staying focused and dedicated. 'As with all of the recipients here today, it is about the power of hard work and it is nice to be celebrated for your great work.' Asher-Smith, who is originally from Orpington, Kent, added: 'It means a lot to be recognised by your country in this way. 'It is a great setting, a stunning castle and the King is really funny and really charming, so it has been a great day. 'He (the King) was very much amazed that I flew over from Texas to get this but I said 'Of course, you invited me so I wasn't going to miss this and this is such an honour'.' Asher-Smith said she was 'really excited' to be opening her outdoor season with a 4x400m relay race on Sunday in Austin, Texas. She added: 'We have quite a lot of time to build into our season. I am in Jamaica next week to run there. 'I am definitely in a great place (for the World Championships). I'm really excited for the season. I am excited to kickstart my outdoor season this weekend.' Asher-Smith was left cursing herself after failing to reach the 100m final at the Olympics in Paris but followed it with strong late-season form at the Diamond League where she took the fight to new sprint queens including Julien Alfred and Sha'Carri Richardson of the US. It included clocking a season's best 10.88 seconds to triumph in Switzerland, just shy of her 10.83secs British record. Asher-Smith started breaking records at a young age, running a world-best 39.16 in the 300m aged just 13. From working as a kit-bag carrier at the London 2012 Olympics, she enjoyed a successful appearance at the Rio 2016 Olympics, where she finished fifth in the 200m and won bronze as part of the 4x100m relay. Asher-Smith won 4x100m silver in the London Stadium at the 2017 World Championships, despite breaking her foot five months earlier. Victory in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay at the 2018 European Athletics Championships in Berlin made her the first British woman to achieve this sprint treble at a major championships. She won the 200m at the 2019 World Championships, along with a silver in the 100m.
