Grand Slam Observe is saying some thrilling athletes for the 2025 season!
GRAND SLAM TRACK™ Pronounces Signings of Trio of Worldwide Superstars: Alison Dos Santos, Muzala Samukonga, and Clement Ducos
Three world celebrity Racers who all competed at Paris Olympics; Dos Santos is a two-time Olympic Bronze medalist, with Samukonga additionally profitable Bronze this previous summer time.
New York, NY (September 26, 2024) – Grand Slam Observe™, the brand new world house {of professional} monitor competitors, launched earlier this 12 months by four-time US Olympic Champion Michael Johnson, right this moment formally introduced the signings of Alison Dos Santos, Muzala Samukonga, and Clement Ducos, all of whom competed at this previous summer time’s Paris Olympic Video games. The three speedsters usually compete over 400m, with Dos Santos and Ducos specializing in Hurdles. This trio of worldwide superstars, from Brazil, France, and Zambia respectively, re-confirms Grand Slam Observe™’s dedication to being the worldwide house of Observe competitors, the place the quickest women and men from all throughout the globe compete for bragging rights and big prizes, beginning in 2025.
“I’m delighted to welcome three distinctive younger worldwide abilities to the Grand Slam Observe™ household,” mentioned Michael Johnson, the league’s founder and Commissioner. “We’ve constructed Grand Slam Observe™ to serve Observe followers all all over the world, and having Clement, Alison, and Muzala as a part of the league will assist guarantee this. Observe is the world’s oldest sport, and is beloved throughout your complete globe. We need to be a league that cherishes and celebrates that truth. We’re thrilled that every of those Racers sees our imaginative and prescient, and needs to assist construct a league the world can watch and luxuriate in collectively. I’m sure that every of them will carry their very own character and aptitude to Grand Slam Observe™, as we discover out who actually are the quickest individuals on the planet.”
Dos Santos, from São Joaquim da Barra, São Paulo, Brazil, is the South American and Pan American report holder within the 400m Hurdles. He’s a two-time Olympic Bronze medalist, in each Tokyo and at this summer time’s Paris Olympic video games, along with profitable the 2022 World Championships. Samukonga, who hails from Lusaka, Zambia, was a flagbearer for Zambia on the Paris Olympics, the place he went on to win the Bronze medal within the 400m. He additionally gained the Gold medal within the 400m at each the 2022 African Championships and 2022 Commonwealth Video games. He was the 400m Silver medalist on the 2024 African Video games, and is presently the #2 ranked 400m runner on the earth. Ducos, born in Bordeaux, France, is without doubt one of the hottest up and coming younger abilities in European athletics. He competed collegiately for the College of Tennessee, earlier than showing in his native nation for his first Olympic Video games this 12 months, the place he positioned 4th within the last, narrowly lacking the rostrum. The three world superstars will compete throughout all 4 Slams in 2025, with Grand Slam Observe™ followers with the ability to sit up for seeing Dos Santos and Ducos lineup towards one another.
“It’s a fantastic second for me to signal with Grand Slam Observe™,” mentioned Dos Santos. “I’m very proud to be the primary Brazilian to hitch this league, and sit up for representing my nation on the most important stage, throughout all 4 Slams. I’m excited by the format of this league, and to have the chance to compete for giant prizes and bragging rights towards my rivals on this sport is a superb state of affairs to be in. I’m positive the followers all over the world will benefit from the spectacle we create, and I can’t wait to see so lots of them on the Slams in 2025.”
“Being part of Grand Slam Observe™ is an honor, and I’ll proudly signify my nation of Zambia on this league,” mentioned Samukonga. “I’m excited to have the ability to proceed racing at a excessive degree towards nice competitors throughout all 4 Slams. As quickly as I heard about GST, I needed to be concerned, and now I can stay up for some nice races subsequent 12 months. This undertaking will permit us as athletes to showcase ourselves in lots of new methods, and that may be a very engaging prospect.”
“It is a very particular alternative for me,” mentioned Ducos. “I’m glad to be representing France in Grand Slam Observe™, and sit up for competing towards one of the best on the earth on this league. It is a nice platform for us as athletes to develop and keep on the forefront of sport all over the world. Coming off the again of the Olympics, I’m delighted to have the ability to be part of GST and construct this league. I sit up for persevering with to check myself towards many different nice Racers, and may’t wait to get began.”
Annually, 48 athletes shall be named to the league as GST Racers. Dos Santos, Ducos, and Samukonga be a part of a star-studded roster of Racers that includes Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Melissa Jefferson, Masai Russell, Cyréna Samba-Mayela, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, Fred Kerley, Kenny Bednarek, Cole Hocker, Yared Nuguse, and Josh Kerr. They’re the primary 13 of the 48 Racers to be introduced as signees with the league. These racers are chosen by the Grand Slam Observe™ Racing Committee based mostly on a mixture of things to incorporate the quickest and finest racers in every race group, with a deal with fierce rivalries and thrilling aggressive racing. GST Racers decide to racing in all 4 Slams per 12 months. They’ll obtain an annual base compensation for racing in every Slam and are eligible for full prize cash. These GST Racers will obtain annual contracts, entry to the GST content material and information companies group, inclusion within the league collective, group licensing and new income alternatives, plus entry to world class athlete assist companies all through the season. GST racers are compensated below contract to race and promote the league and obtain further advertising and branding assist.
The remaining 48 racers shall be often called GST Challengers and shall be paid a set look payment to compete at particular person Slams. GST Challengers are chosen by the Grand Slam Observe™ Racing Committee based mostly on a mixture of things together with current performances, and probably the most intriguing athletes and matchups.
Racers and Challengers shall be assigned to compete in one of many following classes, and can all race in two occasions throughout every Slam: brief sprints (100m/200m), brief hurdles (100H or 110H/100m), lengthy sprints (200m/400m), lengthy hurdles (400H/400m), brief distance (800m/1500m), or lengthy distance (3000m/5000m). All rivals’ last placement rating shall be decided by their mixed ending order between the 2 races. Within the occasion of a tie throughout the 2 occasions, it will likely be the athlete who had the quickest mixed time throughout the 2 races who shall be deemed the winner. The winner of every Slam group will take house $100,000 in prize cash, and the eighth place competitor will earn $10,000. Grand Slam Observe™ could have a complete of $12.6m of prize cash that shall be awarded throughout the slams every year along with the bottom compensation and look charges paid to racers.
The main focus of Grand Slam Observe™ is on face to face competitors, not profitable instances. There shall be no rabbits or pacing lights. Every Slam is equally as necessary as every other, could have its personal prize purse, and shall be independently scored, with factors and former finishes not carrying over to the next Slams. All racers will compete twice over the three-day occasion, and all Slam occasions will meet World Athletics laws, with achieved marks being eligible for rankings and requirements.
Racers will compete in their very own sponsored kits, with out conventional hip numbers or bibs. Racers and Challengers are inspired to work with their sponsors to create custom-made kits, in their very own desired model. Grand Slam Observe™ has no affiliation or sponsorship settlement with any shoe firm; all shoe corporations are thought of to be necessary stakeholders and companions within the promotion of our racers.
Grand Slam Observe™ has secured greater than $30 million in monetary commitments from buyers and strategic companions for the launch of the league. Winners Alliance, a worldwide, athlete-centric
industrial resolution and Johnson’s working accomplice, was the lead investor within the first fundraising shut for the brand new enterprise. The funding within the league will help in Johnson’s final aim: to develop higher engagement with followers by selling monitor and subject’s largest stars and reaching new audiences with distinctive, modern storytelling.
Ticket gross sales data shall be launched sooner or later. For additional data, please comply with @GrandSlamTrack on all social media platforms, and go to grandslamtrack.com.
About Michael Johnson
Born in Dallas, Texas, Michael Johnson is a Corridor of Fame monitor and subject star, universally acknowledged as one of many best sprinters of all time. He gained 4 Olympic gold medals and eight World Championships throughout his profession, and held world and Olympic information in each the 200m and 400m races. On the 1996 Olympic Video games in Atlanta, Johnson turned the primary and solely male athlete to win the Gold medal in each the 200m and 400m on the similar Olympics. Since retiring from energetic competitors, Johnson has turn out to be a serial entrepreneur and investor, in addition to extremely wanted efficiency mindset speaker and an award profitable tv commentator. Johnson has been a pundit for the BBC’s protection of each Olympics Video games since Athens 2004, and stays a key voice on, and advocate for the game. Johnson was inducted into the US Observe and Area Corridor of Fame in 2004.
