Grand Slam Track will announce all four of its 2025 sites this week.GST will also announce its first meeting in Kingston, Jamaica, a world track haven. Well done, Grand Slam Track.
GRAND SLAM TRACK ™ Announces Kingston, Jamaica as Host City for Inaugural Slam 2025 Event
Kingston, Jamaica joins Los Angeles as the announced host city for the 2025 Grand Slam Track™ season, with two more cities to be announced later this week.The first Slam event will take place at Independence Park in April.
Kingston, Jamaica (November 11, 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 that Jamaica will be the host city for the Slam for the inaugural event when the Grand Slam Track™ begins competition in 2025, Kingston joins Los Angeles. as the second city confirmed as a Slam host for the upcoming season, with two more venues to be announced later this week.
“We are excited to bring Grand Slam Track™ to Kingston,” said League Founder and Commissioner Michael Johnson It’s going to be an incredible event and we’re proud to have Kingston as one of our four Slams to kick it off.”
Jamaica’s capital, known for producing some of the world’s best track and field athletes, will provide the perfect backdrop for the high-stakes Grand Slam Track™ competition, which will be held at the National Stadium in Independence Park on April 4, 5 and 6, 2025. , where the world’s fastest racers will gather for this historic event.Tickets go on sale on Friday, December 6, locally time at 10 a.m. in Jamaica.For more information, please visit https://grandslamtrack.com/
“Being chosen as the host city for the Grand Slam Track™ is a huge moment for Kingston and Jamaica as a country,” said Olivia Grange, Minister for Culture, Gender, Leisure and Sport. “This is a great opportunity for us to be part of something huge, bringing the best athletes to our track and helping the sport grow in a new and exciting way. The fans will experience the sport they love up close and it will be something special for everyone watching, as here, We look forward to welcoming Track fans from around the world to Jamaica in April for the Grand Slam Track™.”
“We are proud and excited that Kingston has been chosen to host the inaugural Grand Slam Track™ event,” said Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) President Garth Gale and a testament to current athletes whose achievements and legacies have established Jamaica as the capital of the world.This event is also an important event for the development of our future athletes, who will take advantage of the opportunity to see the world’s biggest running stars up close on the local calendar.”
Each year, 48 athletes will be named to the Grand Slam Track™.The already announced list of Racers includes stars from around the world: Akera Nugent, Roshon Clark, Sidney McLaughlin-Levron, Melissa Jefferson, Masai Russell, Quincy Hall, Fred Curley, Kenny Bednarek, Cole Hawker, Jared Nuguz, Grant Fisher, Josh Kerr, Matthew Hudson-Smith, Nikki Hiltz, Sirena Samba-Mayela, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, Alison Dos Santos, Ronald Kwemoi, Muzala Samukonga, Clement Dukos, Marilydi Paulino, Jess Hull, Daniel Roberts, Shamier Little, Marco Arop, Devon Allen, Jasmine Jones Grijalva, Rochelle Clayton, Agnes Ngetich, and Tsigi Gebreselama. Fans can now be sure to see all the superstars listed above in action next April in Kingston.
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, with a focus on fierce competition and exciting competitive racing. GST Racers commit to competing in all four Slams annually. They will receive annual base compensation for each helmet race and may receive total prize money.These GST racers will receive annually contracts, access to GST’s content and data services team, league membership, group licensing, new revenue opportunities, and world-class athlete support services throughout the season. GST racers are contractually compensated for racing, league promotion, and 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 also selected by the Grand Slam Track™ Racing Committee based on a combination of 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 at each Slam: Short Sprint (100m/200m), Short Hurdles (100h or 110h/100m), Long Sprint (200m/400m), Long Hurdles (400H/400m), short distance (800m/1500m) or long distance (3000m/5000m). The combined finishing order between the two races will determine the final placing points for all competitors. : The winner of each Slam group will take home $100,000 in prize money, and the 8th place the runner-up will earn $10,000.The Grand Slam Track™ will have $12.6 million in prize money awarded annually at the Slams, in addition to the base compensation and appearance fees paid to the racers.
The focus of Grand Slam Track™ is on the fight, not the times to win. There will be no bunnies or speedometers. Each Slam has its own prize purse and is scored independently do not carry over to the following Slams. All racers will compete twice during the three-day event and all Slam events will be World Athletics compliant. to the rules.Achieved marks are eligible for ratings and standards.
Racers will compete in sponsored gear without traditional bibs. Racers and Challengers are encouraged to work with their sponsors to create custom kits in their desired style. Grand Slam Track™ has no affiliation or sponsorship agreement with any shoe company, but all shoe companies are considered important stakeholders and partners in advancing 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, a global, athlete-centric commercial solution and Johnson’s operating partner, was the lead investor in 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.
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 track and field star universally recognized as one of the greatest sprinters of all time.He won four Olympic gold medals and eight world championships and held the world and Olympic records in the 1996 Atlanta At the Olympics, Johnson became the first and only male athlete to win gold medals in the 200m and 200m at the same Olympics. In the 400m, Johnson has become a serial entrepreneur, investor, performance mindset speaker and award-winning TV commentator since 2004 for the BBC and remains a key voice and advocate for the sport. : Johnson was inducted into the United States Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2004.
