Grand Slam Track is a professional track league founded by four-time Olympic champion, Michael Johnson, with the first season starting from April to June this year. With Johnson’s objective to showcase track every year rather than wait every four years for the Olympics, the league has 96 athletes competing in 12 distances in four annual events that are referred to as Slams. There are 6 race groups (short sprints, short hurdles, short distance, long sprints, long hurdles, and long distance) that include 2 specific races for both men and women.  The 96 athletes are divided into 2 groups; racers and challengers. The 48 elite athletes contracted to compete in all four Slams are referred to as Racers and the 48 athletes that change in every Slam are considered Challengers. This system allows Challengers to show that they are capable of being with the best of the best. A total of $12.6 million is distributed throughout the season and prize money is awarded in this order at each Slam:

1st place: $100,000

2nd place: $50,000

3rd place: $30,000

4th place: $25,000

5th place: $20,000

6th place: $15,000

7th place: 12,500

8th place: $10,000

In each season, two competitors (one woman and one man) will be crowned “Racer of The Year” based on their points in all Slams overall. Each Slam will be hosted in a different city; Kingston, Miami, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles. The Slam in Kingston took place on April 4th to 6th with the top competitors being Gabby Thomas, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Grant Fisher, Melissa Jefferson, and many more. For more information or to buy tickets, visit the Grand Slam Track website.