Kilojoules Magazine

Grant Fisher crosses the line ahead of Cooper Teare and Dylan Jacobs in the first night of the Grand Slam Track series in Kingston, Jamaica on April 4th, 2025. (Grand Slam Track on X)

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The most promising new development in a sport that has struggled to keep its pro’s paid well opened Friday night in Kingston, Jamaica. Founded by U.S. Olympian Micheal Johnson, the new track and field league Grand Slam Track promises to fill gaps left in the highest level of track and field. The league aims to “usher in a new era of professional track for the global fanbase of 2.5 billion people worldwide and provide undiscovered opportunities for fan engagement, sponsorship, and elite competition for racers.”

What does this mean for professional track and field athletes? Well… that comes at a tune of $12.6 million dollars up for grabs. This prize purse is to be split among the two genders over 6 categories: short sprints (100m,200m), long sprints (200m,400m), short hurdles (100h/110h, 100m), long hurdles (400h, 400m), short distance (800m, 1500m) and long distance (3000m, 5000m). There are 48 core racers signed up for Grand Slam Track, these 48 sign on to race 4 “Slams” over the season where they will race both events in their category over a 3 day period. These athletes will be offered a base pay and have access to exclusive resources offered by Grand Slam Track. An additional 48 racers will make up “challengers” who will be chosen on a case by case basis for each individual Slam. Winning a Slam means you’ll take home $100,000 with the eighth place finisher taking home $10,000. Prize money will be an addition to your base compensation or appearance fee.

Grand Slam Track cares only about head to head competition and not times, they are looking to foster rivalries and bring fans in to watch the best of the best go head to head… and that sort of worked…

The inaugural night promised fireworks and it did not disappoint. Perennial favorite Sydney McLaughlin did what Sydndey McLaughlin does… she dominated the field running 52.76 seconds in the 400mh becoming the first woman to ever run under 53 seconds in the long hurdles in April. Nikki Hiltz also came to perform by dropping a 1:58.23 800m world lead. Brazilian super star Alison Dos Santos also dropped a world leading 47.61 in his 400mh. The men’s 100m gave the first glimpse of the rivalries that Grand Slam Track promises with Kenny Bednarek narrowly edging out Oblique Seville by 0.01 finishing the 100m in 10.07.

So far so good, excellent times and fast racing dominated the first Grand Slam Track event ever. Until we take a look at the mens long distance category. Here are the names of the competitors and their 5000m personal bests in the men’s long distance category for the Kingston Slam: Grant Fisher (12:44.09 – North American Record), Cooper Teare (12:54.72), Dylan Jacobs (13:07.89), Hagos Gebrhiwet (12:36:73 – National Record), Ronald Kwemoi (13:02.56), Thierry Ndikumwenayo (12:48.10), Telahun Haile Bekele (12:42.70), and Charles Philibert-Thiboutot (13:10.71).

Those are some of the biggest names in the 5000m in the world. Fans of racing will be excited to watch the fastest men on the planet battle it out for the 5000m win. Although early in the season, we should expect a fast time right? How about a 14:39.14! Wait.. 14:39.14? Accurately described as “ridiculously pedestrian” Grant Fisher crossed the finish line of the first ever men’s long distance Slam in a blistering 14:39.14, almost two full minutes slower than his personal best. Closing in a 51 second final lap, the annoyingly tactical race culminated in an all out sprint for the line as a sit and kick battle played out for the chance at securing points towards $100,000.

Maybe we should have just asked the 5k guys to run an all out 400m for the money…

But is this a condemning result for the series? Not really. The race was as promised, a head to head battle with no regard for times. With new technology dominating track and field, a return to good old fashion racing might be a good thing. Fast times are great, but with new tech like wavelights pacing Jakob Ingebrigsten to a mile world record, racing might be getting a little too boring. Every other event on the first night of Grand Slam was a huge success. As fans, maybe it’s our responsibility to shift our demands away from breaking record and towards watching the best beat each other up in whatever ways they can. With bigger goals down the line for these guys, we should be grateful that we can see them tune their tactics this early in the season.

Finding ways to support the advancement of track and field in whatever form that comes in is a good thing, specially when it comes with a massive prize purse. For now, the first Slam continues through till Sunday April 6th. Our speedy men’s long distance guys have to meet each other on the track once again in the 3000m. Best combined results over both races walks away with the top prize. Whether fast or slow, the race promises to be an interesting new way to get your track and field fix before the world championships this September.