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The four-time Olympic champion believes that field events have a brighter future despite the rise of new track leagues focusing solely on track events.
Following the rise of many events focusing on track events, concerns have risen over attention on field events including discuss, javelin, shot put and triple jump but Michael Johnson believes the future of field events is even brighter.
For track events, Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track league and Alexis Ohanian’s Athlos are some of the events that have been launched and are offering hefty prize purses to their athletes. The first edition of Athlos was already held back in late September.
The total prize purse set aside for top finishers at the event was $663,000, with each of the six races having a prize pool of $110,500. The winners of each race received $60,000, and a received a custom Tiffany crown.
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16:26 - 18.11.2024
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The Grand Slam Track league will hold it’s first event in Kingston, Jamaica, with the winner of each Slam group walking away with $100,000 in prize money. However, many fans and athletes have raised eyebrows on how field events have been snubbed and athletes are forced to rely on a few meets to make money.
Michael Johnson, as quoted by Sports Max, revealed that Ryan Crouser has a plan for field athletes and they should be calm since great things are on the way.
“I think you will see quite the opposite. Ryan Crouser, the Olympic champion and world record holder in the shot put, is going to start his vision for a throws league that is specifically for the throws where the fans who actually appreciate those events and understand the great athleticism that is required for those events can actually be closer to the action," Michael Johnson said.
"And so those events don’t fall secondary to what’s happening on the track, and I have offered my support to Ryan for that."
The four-time Olympic champion explained that field events are not going away and there is actually an inspiration around how leagues are being launched.
Field events have experienced a resurgence in recent years, and Johnson encouraged people to come up with specialized leagues for athletes and their disciplines to receive the recognition they deserve.
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08:37 - 21.11.2024
Noah Lyles puts Kishane Thompson, Letsile Tebogo & Co on notice with ambitious targets for 2025
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“Right now, they’re getting lost in a huge stadium where fans far away can’t actually see and appreciate the athleticism. So I think that this [Grand Slam Track] paves the way for a brighter future for the field events,” he added.
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