Who, what and when guide: Grand Slam Track Kingston – AW

Everything you need to know about the first Grand Slam Track meeting in Jamaica

The inaugural Grand Slam Track meet kicks off this weekend (April 4-6) at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica. Founded by Olympic legend Michael Johnson, the league has attracted top-tier talent, with athletes categorized as either “Racers” or “Challengers.”

These athletes are assigned to compete in one of the following categories: short sprints (100m/200m), short hurdles (100m hurdles or 110m hurdles/100m), long sprints (200m/400m), long hurdles (400m hurdles/400m), middle distance (800m/1500m), or long distance (3000m/5000m).

Each Slam event will consist of four Racers who are contracted to the league’s four Slams: Kingston, Miami, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles. They will go up against different Challengers during each Slam, who are compensated with an appearance fee and will compete for full prize money.

The winner of each Slam group will take home $100,000 in prize money and the eighth place competitor will earn $10,000.

A total of 96 athletes will compete in the league, with 48 Grand Slam Track Racers, who collectively earned 34 Olympic medals at the Paris 2024 Games, facing off against 48 challengers.

Here’s a rundown of the athletes competing in Kingston and the details of when and where you can watch the event.

Men’s Short Sprints (100m/200m)

The short sprints category is set to showcase an exciting line-up, including Olympic 200m silver medallist Kenny Bednarek and 100m bronze medallist Fred Kerley.

Among the other contenders is Oblique Seville, who will have the advantage of racing on home soil in Jamaica. After setting a personal best of 9.82 in the 100m semi-finals at the Paris Olympic Games — beating Noah Lyles — Seville suffered a groin injury during the final and finished eighth. With this setback behind him, he will be eager to prove himself in his opening race this season.

Completing the quartet of Racers is Zharnel Hughes, the British record-holder in the 100m and 200m. While Hughes competes for Britain, he trains and lives in Jamaica, giving him home-turf advantage.

Another athlete to watch is Jamaican sprinter Ackeem Blake. Having previously defeated Fred Kerley at the Brussels Diamond League, Blake holds a personal best of 9.89.

Racers: Kenny Bednarek, Fred Kerley, Oblique Seville, Zharnel Hughes

Challengers: Ackeem Blake, Terrence Jones, Courtney Lindsey, Joseph Fahnbulleh

Women’s Short Sprints (100m/200m)

The women’s sprint events also includes multiple Olympic medallists. Among them is USA’s Brittany Brown, who earned a bronze medal in the 200m at the Paris Olympics, finishing behind Gabby Thomas and Julien Alfred. Brown, known for her strength in the 200m, holds a personal best of 21.90 which she set during the US Olympic Trials in Eugene last year.

In the 100m, one of the top athletes to watch is Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, who also claimed a bronze medal in Paris, this time in the 100m. With a personal best of 10.80, the American is coached by Dennis Mitchell, who also coaches stars like Sha’Carri Richardson.

Great Britain’s Daryll Neita is another strong contender in both the 100m and 200m. Neita had a solid performance at the Paris Olympics, finishing fourth in the 100m and fifth in the 200m and is known for her consistency across both distances. Most recently, she has made a change in her setup, now working with Lance Brauman in Florida after previously being coached by Marco Airale.

Challenging these seasoned athletes will be up-and-coming stars like Jacious Sears from the United States, who has already proven herself with a personal best of 10.77 seconds in the 100m and 22.45 seconds in the 200m. Sears recently ran a world-leading 7.02 in the 60m at the 2025 Millrose Games.

Additionally, Jamaica’s Alana Reid, AW’s international U20 athlete in 2024, will have the support of a home crowd as she competes on the big stage.

Racers: Brittany Brown, Daryll Neita, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden

Challengers: Tamara Clark, Alana Reid, Jacious Sears, Jodean Williams, Kemba Nelson

Men’s Long Sprints (200m/400m)

All eyes will be on Great Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith in the men’s long sprints. Entering 2024 with a personal best of 44.26 in the 400m, which was also a European record, Hudson-Smith quickly surpassed that mark multiple times and ran an impressive 43.44 in the Olympic final, where he narrowly missed out on gold.

However, Hudson-Smith is not just a threat in the 400m — he also excels in the 200m. In 2024, he set a personal best of 20.34 seconds at the British Championships in Manchester, claiming his first-ever British title in the event. Competing alongside him will be Zandrion Barnes from Jamaica, who steps in to replace Olympic champion Quincy Hall after he withdrew.

An athlete expected to challenge Hudson-Smith is Muzala Samukonga from Zambia, who beat Hudson-Smith to the 2022 Commonwealth 400m title and who took bronze in the 400m at the Paris Olympics with a personal best of 43.74 seconds.

Racers: Muzala Samukonga, Jereem Richards, Matthew Hudson-Smith

Challengers: Vernon Norwood, Chris Bailey, Deandre Watkin, Busang Collen Kebinatshipi, Zandrion Barnes

Women’s Long Sprints (200m/400m)

The women’s long sprints will feature a star-studded line-up, led by Gabby Thomas. A three-time Olympic gold medallist for Team USA, Thomas earned gold in Paris in the 200m, 4x100m, and 4x400m relays.

Alongside Thomas, the Racer’s include Marileidy Paulino from the Dominican Republic, a two-time Olympic 400m champion. Paulino made history in 2024 in Paris when she set an Olympic record with a stunning 48.17.

Also in the mix are world indoor 400m silver medallist Alexis Holmes from the USA and Jamaica’s national 400m champion Nickisha Pryce.

Another notable name in the 400m is Salwa Eid Naser, the 2019 world champion and 400m Olympic silver medallist. Naser recently ran an impressive 48.94 in Bayaguana, marking the fastest 400m ever in March.

Salwa Eid Naser runs 48.94 in first outdoor 400m this season

Challenging these top sprinters will be Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith, who became the world 200m champion in Doha six years ago. Asher-Smith, who still holds the British record of 21.88 in the 200m, has also made strides in the 400m, recently improving her personal best to 52.31.

Racers: Gabby Thomas, Nickisha Pryce, Alexis Holmes, Marileidy Paulino, Salwa Eid Naser

Challengers: Dina Asher-Smith, Talitha Diggs, Stacey Ann Williams

Men’s Short Hurdles (110m hurdles/100m)

The short hurdles event will see USA’s Daniel Roberts leading the charge. Roberts, an Olympic silver medallist and world bronze medallist in the 110m hurdles, has a personal best of 12.96 in the hurdles and 10.45 in the 100m.

Also in the Racer category is Roberts’ USA team-mate, Freddie Crittenden, who finished sixth at the Paris Olympics. Alongside them is France’s Sasha Zhoya, who holds both the world under-18 and under-20 records in the 110m hurdles with an incredible 12.72.

In Kingston, they will face strong challenges from Jamaica’s Omar McLeod, the 2016 Olympic champion and 2017 world champion in the 110m hurdles, and Dylan Beard, the back-to-back Millrose Games 60m hurdles champion.

Racers: Freddie Crittenden, Sasha Zhoya, Daniel Roberts

Challengers: Orlando Bennett, Omar McLeod, Cordell Tinch, Eric Edwards Jr., Dylan Beard

Women’s Short Hurdles (100m hurdles/100m)

The top three medallists in the 100m hurdles from Paris – Masai Russell, Cyréna Samba-Mayela and Jasmine Camacho-Quinn – will all compete as Racers across all four Slams.

In one of the closest races during the entire the Olympics, the trio were separated by just three hundredths of a second with Russell, Samba-Mayela and Camacho-Quinn running 12.33, 12.34 and 12.36 respectively. Russell claimed gold on her Olympic debut and became the fourth American to stand on the top of the 100m hurdles podium this century.

Jamaica’s Ackera Nugent will be another athlete to watch after securing her first senior global medal at the World Indoor Championships in March, finishing third in the 60m hurdles in 7.74.

Racers: Ackera Nugent, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, Masai Russell, Cyréna Samba-Mayela

Challengers: Danielle Williams, Amber Hughes, Denisha Cartwright, Nia Ali

Men’s Long Hurdles (400m hurdles/400m)

The third fastest athlete in the history of the 400m hurdles event (46.29), Alison dos Santos, will make his mark across the hurdles and flat. The Brazillian picked up a second consecutive bronze medal in the 400m hurdles at the Paris Olympics, finishing behind Rai Benjamin and Karsten Warholm.

Joining him includes Clément Ducos from France who placed fourth in the Olympic 400m hurdles final. The 23-year-old recorded a time of 47.76 in Paris before bettering his mark with a 47.42 at the Silesia Diamond League which saw him go fourth on the European all-time list.

America’s Caleb Dean and Jamaica’s Roshawn Clarke add to the list of Racers who will be challenged by the likes of CJ Allen – the US men’s national record-holder over 400m hurdles indoors (48.88).

Racers: Ducos, Alison Dos Santos, Caleb Dean, Roshawn Clarke

Challengers: Malik James-King, CJ Allen, Chris Robinson, Assinie Wilson

Women’s Long Hurdles (400m hurdles/400m)

When it comes to the women’s long hurdles, all eyes will undoubtedly be on Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the world record-holder in the 400m hurdles with 50.37. The two-time Olympic champion is a standout in both events as she was also the first to sign up for Grand Slam Track during its launch.

Her most recent performance was at the 2024 Brussels Diamond League, where she clocked 49.11 in the 400m – her personal best is 48.74.

Joining her in the Racer category is Jamaica’s Rushell Clayton, who will kick off her season in front of a home crowd. Clayton has a wealth of experience, having earned bronze medals in the 400m hurdles at both the 2019 and 2023 World Championships. She also finished fifth in the 400m hurdles final at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Competing alongside Clayton will be America’s Jasmine Jones, who finished ahead of her in Paris. Jones holds a personal best of 52.29 in the 400m hurdles.

Racers: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Rushell Clayton, Jasmine Jones

Challengers: Shiann Salmon, Cathelijn Peeters, Andrenette Knight, Dalilah Muhammad, Cassandra Tate

Men’s Short Distance (800m/1500m)

The men’s short-distance category is shaping up to be one of the most competitive races of the Slam. We’ll see the full podium from the Olympic 1500m final in Paris, where Cole Hocker took gold, Josh Kerr grabbed silver and Yared Nuguse secured bronze.

Since then, Nuguse set an indoor mile world record of 3:46.63 at the Millrose Games in February. That record was short-lived, though, as Jakob Ingebrigtsen broke it just five days later with 3:45.14. At the same Millrose meet, Hocker came close but was out-kicked by Grant Fisher in the 3000m, with Fisher setting a world record of 7:22.91, while Hocker ran the second-fastest time ever, 7:23.14.

What’s going to be interesting is seeing how these three Olympic medallists perform in the 800m, especially with the Olympic 800m silver medallist Marco Arop also listed as a Racer. Arop holds a personal best of 3:38.36 in the 1500m from 2023, so it’ll be fun to see how he mixes it up with the other 1500m specialists.

The Challengers for this event make it even more exciting with Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi signing up, especially after he came so close to breaking the 800m world record of 1:40.91 last year. He was just two tenths of a second off that mark at the Diamond League meeting in Lausanne in August 2024.

Alongside him is Bryce Hoppel, the seven-time US 800m champion, and Great Britain’s Neil Gourley, the newly crowned World Indoor 1500m silver medallist from Nanjing.

Racers: Cole Hocker, Josh Kerr, Yared Nuguse, Marco Arop

Challengers: Emmanuel Wanyonyi, Bryce Hoppel, Neil Gourley, Mohamed Attaoui

Women’s Short Distance (800m/1500m)

In the women’s short-distance category, Australia’s Jess Hull is one to watch. She secured a silver medal in the 1500m at the 2024 Paris Olympics and has claimed four national titles in Australia — two in the 1500m and two in the 5000m.

Mary Moraa will also be in action, opening her season in Kingston. The Kenyan athlete took home the bronze in the 800m at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where Keely Hodgkinson claimed her first Olympic gold. The 2023 world champion has since bounced back with impressive performances, including a world best 600m time of 1:21.63 at the ISTAF meeting in Berlin.

Ethiopia’s Diribe Welteji is another strong contender, fresh off a solid performance at the World Indoor Championships where she finished second in the 1500m with 3:59.30. She’ll be looking to continue that momentum in Kingston, where she’ll face stiff competition from the likes of 2024 world indoor silver medallist Nikki Hiltz from the US.

Racers: Jess Hull, Nikki Hiltz, Diribe Welteji, Mary Moraa

Challengers: Sage Hurta-Klecker, Heather MacLean, Natoya Goule-Toppin, Susan Ejore

Men’s Long Distance (3000m/5000m)

Grant Fisher, fresh off setting two world indoor records, will open his outdoor season as a Challenger. The Olympic bronze medallist made waves in the indoor season, first clocking 7:22.91 to win the thrilling 3000m race against 1500m Olympic champion Cole Hocker, breaking Lamecha Girma’s previous record of 7:23.81. Then, Fisher took on a solo effort in the 5000m at Boston University, smashing Kenenisa Bekele’s long-standing record with a run of 12:44.09, surpassing the old mark of 12:49.60.

In the Olympic final, Fisher finished just behind Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who took gold, and Kenya’s Ronald Kwemoi, who won silver. The Kenyan will be looking to challenge Fisher once again as he’ll be eyeing a strong performance in Kingston.

Adding to the challenge is Ethiopia’s Hagos Gebrhiwet, a former world junior record-holder in the 5000m with 12:47.53. Gebrhiwet currently holds the Ethiopian national record for the 5000m at 12:36.73 and has a 3000m personal best of 7:30.36, set in 2013.

Also joining the line-ups are America’s Cooper Teare and Ethiopia’s Telahun Haile Bekele, both bringing solid competition.

Racers: Grant Fisher, Ronald Kwemoi, Hagos Gebrhiwet

Challengers: Cooper Teare, Thierry Ndikumwenayo, Charles Philibert-Thiboutot, Dylan Jacobs, Telahun Haile Bekele

Women’s Long Distance (3000m/5000m)

Kenya’s Agnes Ngetich, the women’s 10km world record-holder with 28:46, will face tough competition from Ethiopia’s Tsige Gebreselama in the women’s long distance Slam. Ngetich has a strong track record too, with personal bests of 8:32.62 in the 3000m and 14:36.70 in the 5000m. Gebreselama, however, is even quicker on paper, boasting times of 14:18.76 in the 5000m and 8:24.40 in the 3000m.

Ethiopia’s Ejgayehu Taye will also be a key contender. Taye claimed the bronze medal in the 3000m at the 2022 World Indoor Championships and held the mixed-gender world record for the 5km road race from 2021 to 2024 with a time of 14:19. She also finished sixth in the 5000m at the Paris Olympics, and her form will make her a serious challenger to both Ngetich and Gebreselama.

Great Britain’s Melissa Courtney-Bryant, fresh off a silver medal in the women’s 3000m at the European Indoor Championships, will also be one to watch. Earlier this year, she set a 3000m world indoor lead at the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Boston, clocking a personal best of 8:28.69. That time put her just ahead of American Elise Cranny, who will also be racing in Kingston.

Racers: Nozomi Tanaka, Tsige Gebreselama, Agnes Ngetich, Elise Cranny

Challengers: Hellen Ekalale, Whittni Morgan, Melissa Courtney-Bryant, Ejgayehu Taye

Timetable (GMT)

Friday April 4