Director of Athletes and Racing at Grand Slam reveals all concerning the new league
As Michael Johnson’s new observe league approaches, pleasure is constructing for the primary Slam, which is able to kick off in Kingston, Jamaica, from April 4-6. To get a greater understanding of what this league has to supply, we reached out to AW readers to collect their burning questions concerning the occasion that guarantees to revolutionize the game of observe and subject.
What we already know is that athletes at Grand Slam Observe are categorised as both Racers and Challengers and are assigned to compete in one of many following classes: quick sprints (100m/200m), quick hurdles (100m hurdles or 110m hurdles/100m), lengthy sprints (200m/400m), lengthy hurdles (400H/400m), center distance (800m/1500m), or lengthy distance (3000m/5000m).
Every Slam occasion will showcase consist of 4 Racers who’re contracted to the league’s 4 Slams: Kingston, Miami, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles. They are going to go up towards completely different Challengers throughout every Slam, who’re compensated with an look price, and can compete for full prize cash.
The winner of every Slam group will take dwelling $100,000 in prize cash and the eighth place competitor will earn $10,000.
A complete of 96 athletes will compete within the league, with 48 Grand Slam Observe Racers, who collectively earned 34 Olympic medals on the Paris 2024 Video games, dealing with off towards 48 challengers.
To dive deeper into what followers can anticipate, we sat down with Kyle Merber, a former middle-distance runner and the Director of Racing and Athletes for Grand Slam Observe and requested him a spread of questions requested by our AW followers throughout social media platforms.
Michael Johnson (Grand Slam Observe)
How had been the occasions chosen?
Quite a lot of issues went into it previous to them being finalized. However I feel in the end the format clearly values being the quickest, proper? That’s an important factor but additionally having a spread and having the ability to carry out persistently throughout a number of occasions. I feel the mixture of getting two race distances gives just a little bit extra jeopardy for the racers.
I feel the mixture of getting two occasions creates intriguing match-ups, issues that possibly followers haven’t essentially seen earlier than and in the end sparks extra debate and dialog amongst the followers.
Can a Challenger compete in a number of slams?
There is no such thing as a official rule saying {that a} challenger can’t compete in a couple of Slam. I feel if you happen to preserve profitable, you then’re welcome to maintain coming again and will definitely be invited.
I feel from my philosophy standpoint is that we do need to see a story of Challengers throughout the complete season. A extremely robust level within the format is having that chance to herald those that are racing properly, and the up and coming or the brand new rivalries and simply seeing one thing completely different every outing. We’ll see a whole lot of recent faces however there’s actually some Challengers I already know which might be going to be persistently there.
What did you search for when deciding on Challengers?
How briskly are you? That’s actually necessary.
It’s private bests, it’s medals, it’s rivalries, it’s momentum. The most necessary factor is who the followers need to see and we’re in the end attempting to place an amazing product out on the observe. Agents suggest their athletes to us and we contemplate and put collectively the perfect subject potential.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (Getty)
What occurs if a Racer/Challenger will get injured mid season?
The Racers are dedicated contractually to do all 4 Slams however after all, as is nature within the sport, there will likely be hiccups alongside the way in which. If that does occur, then we merely add an additional Challenger. So, you’d have 5 Challengers versus 4. If somebody will get harm two days earlier than then we’ll do our very best to all the time have an alternate Challenger able to go, to attempt to fill each lane potential.
If an athlete will get injured, say within the first race and isn’t out there to do the second, we’re not going to drive somebody to step on the market and limp by a race. We gained’t essentially fill that lane if it’s forward of the second race within the weekend.
Can athletes qualify as Challengers midway by the Slam season?
Yeah, after all. I feel notably in Kingston, it’s early within the 12 months so we’re going to have a whole lot of Challengers who’re being chosen based mostly off of their efficiency final 12 months.
Then you have got others that we’ve seen already come out through the indoor season and run tremendous properly and instantly begin the 12 months off with a bang. However Philadelphia and Los Angeles Slams are so far-off. It’s one thing that we’ve heard a whole lot of athletes already speak about as being one in every of their targets this season is to run properly early sufficient to in the end be capable to attend a Slam and compete.
Will there be a brand new choice of Challengers yearly?
There is no such thing as a particular pool. There’s actually a depth chart and there’s a whole lot of scouting concerned of who’s working properly. I pour by a number of race outcomes and I additionally suppose a very necessary factor is watching the races because you would possibly see the occasions on paper, however the way in which issues really play out tells you a little bit of a narrative as properly.
Yearly in each Slam will likely be an entire new recent slate and an alternative for athletes to come back in and be Challengers. I really suppose a actually thrilling prospect is the chance to introduce sure opponents to the fan base of the game by Grand Slam Observe.
Josh Kerr, Cole Hocker, Yared Nuguse (Getty)
Do Challengers receives a commission and in that case, how a lot?
All challengers receives a commission and so they receives a commission the identical quantity throughout the board. They all obtain $2000 as an look price, with eight athletes within the subject and eighth place being given $10,000 so in the end it’s a assured $12,000. Most athletes, after they’re stepping on the road, aren’t occupied with coming in eighth place, they’re most likely occupied with that $100,000 first prize and all Challengers, after all, have that chance to win.
Racers are paid a base compensation based mostly on their worth that’s established firstly of the season.
Will Grand Slam Observe ever come to the UK?
It’s most likely a greater query for our commissioner [Michael Johnson] than myself, however given the superb fandom within the UK and the help that we’ve seen persistently I feel it’s an amazing potential location. However that’s going to be MJ’s final resolution.
The place will it’s broadcasted for UK followers to observe?
UK viewers are going to have the ability to watch on TNT sports activities, which we simply introduced and are actually excited. It’s such an necessary factor, notably within the first 12 months, to make it accessible and having the chance for followers to have the ability to really watch.
Grand Slam Observe to air on Eurosport and TNT Sports activities
Are there any plans to herald every other occasions sooner or later?
There aren’t any quick plans. There are many enjoyable and completely different mixtures to theorize a fewnd to have a enjoyable chat with on the bar with your pals however proper now we’re targeted on the present format and occasions as structured.
Olympic 400m last (Getty)
Was there a cause to host 4 Slams, did you contemplate every other quantity?
You do see that it really works very well in tennis and golf. I feel it’s a superb beginning level and notably for our Racers who’ve by no means needed to commit to such a sequence of meets one after one other. It’s one thing that they had been excited to do and that it’s one thing that we’ve heard persistently from our Racers.
It’s very nice to know your schedule firstly of the season and I do know the coaches actually wish to plan backwards.
Would you contemplate introducing greater than 4 Slams sooner or later?
There’s undoubtedly conversations and the potential to at some point develop however proper now it’s actually simply heads down and targeted on placing on 4 nice meets this 12 months.
How will the league propel the game and entice new viewers?
We all know the game already has an enormous fan base, proper? We see it each single Olympic cycle, each 4 years and I feel the purpose of Grand Slam Observe is to primarily knock down a few of these boundaries of these followers who solely come each 4 years and attempt to seize their consideration in between a bit extra.
That begins with making observe extra accessible for followers, each when it comes to realizing how and when and the place to observe. Additionally, having the ability to assure who’s going to be there and having the perfect athletes dedicated to race one another repeatedly is a large unlock for us.
It builds a whole lot of intriguing rivalries and matchups that I feel in the end will make present followers very completely happy and proceed to herald those who solely come each 4 years. The sport is so typically loved in retrospect, you see the outcomes and you then return and rewatch the race after having already heard what’s going to occur. I feel we’d like to have the ability to have the followers benefit from the pleasure of the game in actual time, watching it unfold reside.
Gabby Thomas (Getty)
Will we see evaluation and athlete interviews all through the TV protection?
Yeah, undoubtedly. I’m tremendous dedicated to not solely having nice races showcased, however offering an entertaining TV product. One of the most important benefits of getting Grand Slam Observe on this format is to have entry to the athletes and the knowledge that we are able to present to the manufacturing aspect.
An enormous facet of what we’re doing is we have contractual obligations of athletes to make themselves out there for behind the scenes, storytelling and interviews, and to offer followers watching at dwelling a bit extra context about who they’re and what they’re watching and subsequently giving them larger rooting curiosity.
Will athletes have walkout songs?
Usually, music was tremendous necessary to the league and creating the surroundings of the native cultures of the place every Slam is situated. We undoubtedly have some cool ways in which we’re going to combine it into the occasion. You’ll must tune in or come watch to see, nevertheless it’s going to be enjoyable.
Jess Hull (Getty)
Why did you resolve on the 800m/1500m Slam as an alternative of 400m/800m?
The 800m/1500m is a extra conventional double. I can consider a whole lot of nice British athletes that had been actually good at each the 800m and the 1500m.
It doesn’t matter what occasion mixture is throughout the board, it’d really feel prefer it’s the proper match for one athlete and possibly not for one more. I suppose the 800m/1500m might be the occasion that we’ve seen essentially the most chatter about on-line.
It brings collectively such a novel range of expertise and you see matchups once more that you’d by no means see. We’re seeing high athletes conflict that don’t line up versus each other ever. Particularly in Kingston, we now have one, two, three within the 1500m after which you have got introduced already one, two, 4 from the Paris 800m. So there’s a whole lot of curiosity.
We’re seeing a whole lot of athletes who don’t actually have a 1500m private finest to their title who’re going to now have one in a month. I say this as a former 1500m runner, for the the 800m, the 1500m guys are going to have the ability to run quite a bit quicker than I feel folks understand.
» Subscribe to AW journal right here, take a look at our new podcast right here or signal as much as our digital archive of again points from 1945 to the current day right here
