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US sprint icon Michael Johnson has moved to address some of the concerns raised by Noah Lyles and Co over his Grand Slam Track while defending the status of those who have signed up.
American sprint legend Michael Johnson has addressed some concerns raised by a number of athletes over his Grand Slam Track which will begin this year.
Johnson has been the face of the new athletics event set to take place in Kingston, Jamaica (April 4-6) before moving to the United States in Miami (May 2-4), Philadelphia (May 30-June 1) and Los Angeles (June 27-29) with lucrative cash rewards for winners of each discipline per meet.
However, while a number of top runners have already signed up, including Olympics champions Gabby Thomas, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Masai Russell with the likes of Josh Kerr, Kenny Bednarek and Fred Kerley also roped in, the biggest athletes of them all Noah Lyles and Sha’Carri Richardson have not.
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17:41 - 20.12.2024
'Will it be televised'- Noah Lyles & Sha'Carri Richardson fans question Grand Slam Track future
Fans have expressed disappointment over the exclusion of Noah Lyles and Sha'Carri Richardson from the Grand Slam Track roster.
Part of Lyles’ conditions and concerns have been the lack of clarity over a broadcaster for the event which he feels would not give him great exposure but Johnson has now addressed those concerns.
“TV announcement coming later this month. Objective was to make it most accessible, easy to find, and entertaining. I think fans will be pleased,” Johnson posted on X while shrugging off concerns that the event has not attracted the best yet.
“Stars. These 48 Racers are stars! They are OLY [Olympics] & WCH [World Athletics Championships] champions, and Paris medalists and finalists. Of course, there are some recognizable names who haven’t signed as Racers this year. Many of them have indicated their intent to compete in 1, 2, or even 3 of our slams. We are in constant contact with all the fastest athletes and will be working to get them signed on as Challengers,” he added, seeming to suggest that the likes of Lyles and Richardson could soon be roped in.
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08:15 - 22.12.2024
'I don't really like format' - Rai Benjamin joins Noah Lyles in voicing doubt over Michael Johnson's Grand Slam Track
Rai Benjamin has joined Noah Lyles in expressing a major concern that has to be addressed before joining Michael Johnson's Grand Slam Track League.
Grand Slam Track will have short sprints (100 m/200 m), short hurdles (100H or 110H/100 m), long sprints (200 m/400 m), long hurdles (400H/400 m), short distance (800 m/1500 m), or long distance (3000 m/5000 m).
The Grand Slam Track meets will have 96 athletes: 48 seasonally-contracted “Racers” and 48 single-meet “Challengers” in a two-race format.
The runners will be awarded $100,000 for winning a race per Slam with the prize money going down to $10,000 which will be awarded to the eighth-place finisher. Grand Slam Challengers will also be paid a set appearance fee besides the prize money.
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05:30 - 12.12.2024
Grand Slam Track tickets: How much will it cost you to watch Michael Johnson's lucrative event?
Tickets for the Grand Slam Track event are already on sale and here is how much it will cost you to catch the likes of Gabby Thomas, Masai Russell, Kenny Bednarek and Co in action.
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