Grand Slam Track announces some exciting athletes for the 2025 season.
GRAND SLAM TRACK™ Announces the Signing of a Trio of International Superstars Alison Dos Santos, Muzala Samukonga and Clement Ducos
Three world superstar racers who all competed in the Paris Olympics; Dos Santos is a two-time Olympic bronze medalist, while Samukonga also won bronze this summer.
New York, NY (September 26, 2024) – Grand Slam Track™, the new global home of professional running competition launched earlier this year by four-time US Olympic champion Michael Johnson, today officially announced the signing of Alison Dos Santos, Muzala . Samukonga and Clément Ducos, all of whom competed in this summer’s Paris Olympics. The three sprinters usually compete over 400m, while Dos Santos and Ducos specialize in the steeplechase. This trio of international superstars, from Brazil, France and Zambia respectively, reaffirms Grand Slam Track™’s commitment to being the global home of Track competition, where the fastest men and women from around the world compete for bragging rights and bragging rights. mass awards starting in 2025
“I am delighted to welcome three exceptional young international talents to the Grand Slam Track™ family,” said league founder and commissioner Michael Johnson. “We built Grand Slam Track™ to serve Track fans around the world, and having Clement, Allison and Muzala in the league will help ensure that. Track is the oldest sport in the world and is loved all over the world. We want to be a league that cherishes and celebrates that fact. We are excited that each of these racers see our vision and want to help build a league that the world can watch and enjoy together. I’m sure they’ll each bring their own personality and flair to Grand Slam Track™ as we find out who the fastest people on the planet really are.”
Dos Santos, from Sao Joaquim da Barra, Sao Paulo, Brazil, is the South American and All-American record holder in the 400m hurdles. He is a two-time Olympic bronze medalist, both in Tokyo and this summer’s Paris Olympics, in addition to winning the 2022 World Championships. Samukonga, who hails from Lusaka, Zambia, was Zambia’s flag bearer at the Paris Olympics where she won a bronze medal in the 400m. He also won a gold medal in the 400m at both the 2022 African Championships and the 2022 Commonwealth Games. He was the 400m silver medalist at the 2024 African Games and is currently the world’s No. 2 ranked 400m runner. Born in Bordeaux, France, Doukos is one of the hottest up-and-coming young talents in European athletics. He competed collegiately for the University of Tennessee before making his first Olympic appearance in his home country this year, where he finished 4th in the finals, narrowly missing the podium. The three global superstars will compete in all four Slams in 2025, and fans of the Grand Slam Track™ can look forward to pitting Dos Santos and Dukos against each other.
“It’s a great moment for me to sign with Grand Slam Track™,” said dos Santos. “I am very proud to be the first Brazilian to join this league and I am looking forward to representing my country on the biggest stage in all four slams. I am excited about the format of this league and to have the opportunity to compete against my competitors in this sport for big prizes and bragging rights is a great situation. to create and I can’t wait to see so many of them at the Slams in 2025.”
“It is an honor to be part of the Grand Slam Track™ and I will be proud to represent my country Zambia in this league,” said Samukonga. “I’m excited to continue racing at a high level in all four Slams against great competition. As soon as I heard about GST I wanted to get involved and now I can look forward to some great races next year. This project will allow us as athletes to express ourselves in many new ways, and that is a very tempting prospect.”
“This is a very special opportunity for me,” Dukos said. “I am delighted to represent France at the Grand Slam Track™ and look forward to competing against the world’s best in this league. This is a great platform for us as athletes to grow and stay at the forefront of sports around the world. After the Olympics, I am happy to be a part of GST and build this league. I’m looking forward to continuing to test myself against many other great racers and can’t wait to get started.”
Each year, 48 athletes will be assigned to the league as GST Racers. Dos Santos, Ducos and Samukonga join a star-studded Racers roster that includes Sydney McLaughlin-Levron, Melissa Jefferson, Masai Russell, Sirena Samba-Mayela, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, Fred Curley, Kenny Bednared, Kenny Bednared, Kenny Bednared Josh Kerr. They are the first thirteen of the 48 racers announced as signed to the league. These racers are selected by the Grand Slam Track™ Racing Committee based on a combination of factors to include the fastest and best racers in each race group, focusing on fierce competition and exciting competitive racing. GST Racers commit to competing in all four Slams annually. They will receive an annual base compensation for each helmet race and may receive full prize money. These GST racers will receive annual contracts, access to the GST content and data services team, inclusion in the league collective, group licensing and new revenue opportunities, as well as access to world-class athlete support services throughout the season. GST racers are paid under contract to compete and promote the league and receive additional marketing and branding support.
The remaining 48 racers will be known as GST Challengers and will be paid a fee to compete in individual Slams. GST Challengers are selected by the Grand Slam Track™ Racing Committee based on a combination of factors, including recent performances and the most exciting athletes and matches.
Runners and Challengers will compete in one of the following categories and will all compete in two events during each Slam: Short Sprint (100m/200m), Short Steeplechase (100 or 110h/100m), Long Sprint (200m/400m). ), long hurdles (400H/400m), short distance (800m/1500m) or long distance (3000m/5000m). The final placement score for all competitors will be determined by their joint finishing order between the two races. In the event of a tie in both events, the winner will be the athlete with the fastest time in both events. The winner of each Slam group will take home $100,000 in prize money and the 8th place finisher will earn $10,000. The Grand Slam Track™ will have a total of $12.6 million in prize money awarded each year at the Slams, in addition to base compensation and appearance fees paid to racers.
The focus of Grand Slam Track™ is head-to-head competition, not winning times. There will be no bunnies or walking lights. Each Slam is as important as the others, will have its own prize purse and will be played independently unless points and previous finishes carry over to subsequent Slams. All racers will compete twice during the three-day event, and all Slam events will follow World Athletics regulations, and the marks achieved can be for ratings and standards.
Racers will compete in their own sponsored gear without the traditional bib numbers or bibs. Racers and Challengers are encouraged to work with their sponsors to create custom kits with their desired style. Grand Slam Track™ has no affiliation or sponsorship agreement with any footwear company; All shoe companies are considered important stakeholders and partners in the advancement of our racers.
Grand Slam Track™ has secured more than $30 million in financial commitments from investors and strategic partners to launch the league. Winners Alliance, global, athlete-centric
The trading solution and Johnson’s operating partner was the lead investor in the first round of fundraising for the new venture. Investing in the league will contribute to Johnson’s ultimate goal. develop better engagement with fans by promoting athletics’ biggest stars and reaching new audiences through unique, innovative storytelling.
Ticket sales information will be released in due course. For more information, please follow @GrandSlamTrack on all social media platforms and visit grandslamtrack.com.
About Michael Johnson
Born in Dallas, Texas, Michael Johnson is a Hall of Fame track and field star who is universally recognized as one of the greatest sprinters of all time. He won four Olympic gold medals and eight world championships during his career, and held world and Olympic records in both the 200m and 400m. At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Johnson became the first and only male athlete to win gold in both the 200m and 400m at the same Olympic Games. Since retiring from active competition, Johnson has become a serial entrepreneur and investor, as well as a highly sought-after performance mindset speaker and award-winning television commentator. Johnson has been a pundit for the BBC’s coverage of all Olympic Games since Athens 2004 and continues to be a key voice and advocate for the sport. Johnson was inducted into the United States Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2004.
