The whole lot you might want to know concerning the first Grand Slam Monitor assembly in Jamaica
The inaugural Grand Slam Monitor meet kicks off this weekend (April 4-6) on the Nationwide Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica. Based by Olympic legend Michael Johnson, the league has attracted top-tier expertise, with athletes categorized as both “Racers” or “Challengers.”
These athletes are assigned to compete in one of many following classes: brief sprints (100m/200m), brief hurdles (100m hurdles or 110m hurdles/100m), lengthy sprints (200m/400m), lengthy hurdles (400m hurdles/400m), center distance (800m/1500m), or lengthy distance (3000m/5000m).
Every Slam occasion will consist of 4 Racers who’re contracted to the league’s 4 Slams: Kingston, Miami, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles. They may go up towards totally 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 residence $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 Monitor Racers, who collectively earned 34 Olympic medals on the Paris 2024 Video games, going through off towards 48 challengers.
Right here’s a rundown of the athletes competing in Kingston and the small print of when and the place you’ll be able to watch the occasion.
Nationwide Stadium, Kingston (Grand Slam Monitor)
Males’s Quick Sprints (100m/200m)
The brief sprints class is about to showcase an thrilling line-up, together with Olympic 200m silver medallist Kenny Bednarek and 100m bronze medallist Fred Kerley.
Among the many different contenders is Indirect Seville, who may have the benefit of racing on residence soil in Jamaica. After setting a private better of 9.82 within the 100m semi-finals on the Paris Olympic Video games — beating Noah Lyles — Seville suffered a groin damage through the remaining and completed eighth. With this setback behind him, he might be desirous to show himself in his opening race this season.
Finishing the quartet of Racers is Zharnel Hughes, the British record-holder within the 100m and 200m. Whereas Hughes competes for Britain, he trains and lives in Jamaica, giving him home-turf benefit.
One other athlete to observe is Jamaican sprinter Ackeem Blake. Having beforehand defeated Fred Kerley on the Brussels Diamond League, Blake holds a private better of 9.89.
Racers: Kenny Bednarek, Fred Kerley, Indirect Seville, Zharnel Hughes
Challengers: Ackeem Blake, Terrence Jones, Courtney Lindsey, Joseph Fahnbulleh
Kenny Bednarek and Zharnel Hughes (Getty)
Girls’s Quick Sprints (100m/200m)
The ladies’s dash occasions additionally contains a number of Olympic medallists. Amongst them is USA’s Brittany Brown, who earned a bronze medal within the 200m on the Paris Olympics, ending behind Gabby Thomas and Julien Alfred. Brown, recognized for her power within the 200m, holds a private better of 21.90 which she set through the US Olympic Trials in Eugene final yr.
Within the 100m, one of many prime athletes to observe is Melissa Jefferson-Picket, who additionally claimed a bronze medal in Paris, this time within the 100m. With a private better of 10.80, the American is coached by Dennis Mitchell, who additionally coaches stars like Sha’Carri Richardson.
Nice Britain’s Daryll Neita is one other robust contender in each the 100m and 200m. Neita had a strong efficiency on the Paris Olympics, ending fourth within the 100m and fifth within the 200m and is thought for her consistency throughout each distances. Most just lately, she has made a change in her setup, now working with Lance Brauman in Florida after beforehand being coached by Marco Airale.
Daryll Neita (Getty)
Difficult these seasoned athletes might be up-and-coming stars like Jacious Sears from america, who has already confirmed herself with a private better of 10.77 seconds within the 100m and 22.45 seconds within the 200m. Sears just lately ran a world-leading 7.02 within the 60m on the 2025 Millrose Video games.
Moreover, Jamaica’s Alana Reid, AW’s worldwide U20 athlete in 2024, may have the help of a house crowd as she competes on the large stage.
Racers: Brittany Brown, Daryll Neita, Melissa Jefferson-Picket
Challengers: Tamara Clark, Alana Reid, Jacious Sears, Jodean Williams, Kemba Nelson
Alana Reid [centre] (Oscar Munoz Badilla)
Males’s Lengthy Sprints (200m/400m)
All eyes might be on Nice Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith within the males’s lengthy sprints. Coming into 2024 with a private better of 44.26 within the 400m, which was additionally a European report, Hudson-Smith rapidly surpassed that mark a number of instances and ran a formidable 43.44 within the Olympic remaining, the place he narrowly missed out on gold.
Nevertheless, Hudson-Smith is not only a risk within the 400m — he additionally excels within the 200m. In 2024, he set a private better of 20.34 seconds on the British Championships in Manchester, claiming his first-ever British title within the occasion. Competing alongside him might be Zandrion Barnes from Jamaica, who steps in to interchange Olympic champion Quincy Corridor after he withdrew.
An athlete anticipated to problem Hudson-Smith is Muzala Samukonga from Zambia, who beat Hudson-Smith to the 2022 Commonwealth 400m title and who took bronze within the 400m on the Paris Olympics with a private better of 43.74 seconds.
Racers: Muzala Samukonga, Jereem Richards, Matthew Hudson-Smith
Challengers: Vernon Norwood, Chris Bailey, Deandre Watkin, Busang Collen Kebinatshipi, Zandrion Barnes
(Getty)
Girls’s Lengthy Sprints (200m/400m)
The ladies’s lengthy sprints will characteristic a star-studded line-up, led by Gabby Thomas. A 3-time Olympic gold medallist for Group USA, Thomas earned gold in Paris within the 200m, 4x100m, and 4x400m relays.
Alongside Thomas, the Racer’s embrace Marileidy Paulino from the Dominican Republic, a two-time Olympic 400m champion. Paulino made historical past in 2024 in Paris when she set an Olympic report with a shocking 48.17.
Additionally within the combine are world indoor 400m silver medallist Alexis Holmes from the USA and Jamaica’s nationwide 400m champion Nickisha Pryce.
Gabby Thomas (Getty)
One other notable identify within the 400m is Salwa Eid Naser, the 2019 world champion and 400m Olympic silver medallist. Naser just lately ran a formidable 48.94 in Bayaguana, marking the quickest 400m ever in March.
Salwa Eid Naser runs 48.94 in first outside 400m this season
Difficult these prime sprinters might be Nice Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith, who grew to become the world 200m champion in Doha six years in the past. Asher-Smith, who nonetheless holds the British report of 21.88 within the 200m, has additionally made strides within the 400m, just lately enhancing her private greatest to 52.31.
Racers: Gabby Thomas, Nickisha Pryce, Alexis Holmes, Marileidy Paulino, Salwa Eid Naser
Challengers: Dina Asher-Smith, Talitha Diggs, Stacey Ann Williams
Dina Asher-Smith (Getty)
Males’s Quick Hurdles (110m hurdles/100m)
The brief hurdles occasion will see USA’s Daniel Roberts main the cost. Roberts, an Olympic silver medallist and world bronze medallist within the 110m hurdles, has a private better of 12.96 within the hurdles and 10.45 within the 100m.
Additionally within the Racer class is Roberts’ USA team-mate, Freddie Crittenden, who completed sixth on the Paris Olympics. Alongside them is France’s Sasha Zhoya, who holds each the world under-18 and under-20 information within the 110m hurdles with an unimaginable 12.72.
In Kingston, they’ll face robust challenges from Jamaica’s Omar McLeod, the 2016 Olympic champion and 2017 world champion within the 110m hurdles, and Dylan Beard, the back-to-back Millrose Video games 60m hurdles champion.
Racers: Freddie Crittenden, Sasha Zhoya, Daniel Roberts
Challengers: Orlando Bennett, Omar McLeod, Cordell Tinch, Eric Edwards Jr., Dylan Beard
(Getty)
Girls’s Quick Hurdles (100m hurdles/100m)
The highest three medallists within the 100m hurdles from Paris – Masai Russell, Cyréna Samba-Mayela and Jasmine Camacho-Quinn – will all compete as Racers throughout all 4 Slams.
In one of many closest races throughout the whole the Olympics, the trio had been separated by simply three hundredths of a second with Russell, Samba-Mayela and Camacho-Quinn working 12.33, 12.34 and 12.36 respectively. Russell claimed gold on her Olympic debut and have become the fourth American to face on the highest of the 100m hurdles podium this century.
Jamaica’s Ackera Nugent might be one other athlete to observe after securing her first senior world medal on the World Indoor Championships in March, ending third within the 60m hurdles in 7.74.
Racers: Ackera Nugent, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, Masai Russell, Cyréna Samba-Mayela
Challengers: Danielle Williams, Amber Hughes, Denisha Cartwright, Nia Ali
Paris Olympics 100m hurdles podium (Getty)
Males’s Lengthy Hurdles (400m hurdles/400m)
The third quickest athlete within the historical past of the 400m hurdles occasion (46.29), Alison dos Santos, will make his mark throughout the hurdles and flat. The Brazillian picked up a second consecutive bronze medal within the 400m hurdles on the Paris Olympics, ending behind Rai Benjamin and Karsten Warholm.
Becoming a member of him contains Clément Ducos from France who positioned fourth within the Olympic 400m hurdles remaining. The 23-year-old recorded a time of 47.76 in Paris earlier than bettering his mark with a 47.42 on the Silesia Diamond League which noticed him go fourth on the European all-time listing.
America’s Caleb Dean and Jamaica’s Roshawn Clarke add to the listing of Racers who might be challenged by the likes of CJ Allen – the US males’s nationwide record-holder over 400m hurdles indoors (48.88).
Racers: Ducos, Alison Dos Santos, Caleb Dean, Roshawn Clarke
Challengers: Malik James-King, CJ Allen, Chris Robinson, Assinie Wilson
Alison dos Santos (Getty)
Girls’s Lengthy Hurdles (400m hurdles/400m)
With regards to the ladies’s lengthy hurdles, all eyes will undoubtedly be on Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the world record-holder within the 400m hurdles with 50.37. The 2-time Olympic champion is a standout in each occasions as she was additionally the primary to join Grand Slam Monitor throughout its launch.
Her most up-to-date efficiency was on the 2024 Brussels Diamond League, the place she clocked 49.11 within the 400m – her private greatest is 48.74.
Becoming a member of her within the Racer class is Jamaica’s Rushell Clayton, who will kick off her season in entrance of a house crowd. Clayton has a wealth of expertise, having earned bronze medals within the 400m hurdles at each the 2019 and 2023 World Championships. She additionally completed fifth within the 400m hurdles remaining on the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Competing alongside Clayton might be America’s Jasmine Jones, who completed forward of her in Paris. Jones holds a private better of 52.29 within the 400m hurdles.
Racers: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Rushell Clayton, Jasmine Jones
Challengers: Shiann Salmon, Cathelijn Peeters, Andrenette Knight, Dalilah Muhammad, Cassandra Tate
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (Getty)
Males’s Quick Distance (800m/1500m)
The lads’s short-distance class is shaping as much as be probably the most aggressive races of the Slam. We’ll see the total podium from the Olympic 1500m remaining in Paris, the place Cole Hocker took gold, Josh Kerr grabbed silver and Yared Nuguse secured bronze.
Since then, Nuguse set an indoor mile world report of three:46.63 on the Millrose Video games in February. That report was short-lived, although, as Jakob Ingebrigtsen broke it simply 5 days later with 3:45.14. On the similar Millrose meet, Hocker got here shut however was out-kicked by Grant Fisher within the 3000m, with Fisher setting a world report of seven:22.91, whereas Hocker ran the second-fastest time ever, 7:23.14.
What’s going to be attention-grabbing is seeing how these three Olympic medallists carry out within the 800m, particularly with the Olympic 800m silver medallist Marco Arop additionally listed as a Racer. Arop holds a private greatest of three:38.36 within the 1500m from 2023, so it’ll be enjoyable to see how he mixes it up with the opposite 1500m specialists.
Cole Hocker (Getty)
The Challengers for this occasion make it much more thrilling with Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi signing up, particularly after he got here so near breaking the 800m world report of 1:40.91 final yr. He was simply two tenths of a second off that mark on the Diamond League assembly in Lausanne in August 2024.
Alongside him is Bryce Hoppel, the seven-time US 800m champion, and Nice Britain’s Neil Gourley, the newly topped World Indoor 1500m silver medallist from Nanjing.
Racers: Cole Hocker, Josh Kerr, Yared Nuguse, Marco Arop
Challengers: Emmanuel Wanyonyi, Bryce Hoppel, Neil Gourley, Mohamed Attaoui
Emmanuel Wanyonyi and Marco Arop (Getty)
Girls’s Quick Distance (800m/1500m)
Within the girls’s short-distance class, Australia’s Jess Hull is one to observe. She secured a silver medal within the 1500m on the 2024 Paris Olympics and has claimed 4 nationwide titles in Australia — two within the 1500m and two within the 5000m.
Mary Moraa can even be in motion, opening her season in Kingston. The Kenyan athlete took residence the bronze within the 800m on the 2024 Paris Olympics, the place Keely Hodgkinson claimed her first Olympic gold. The 2023 world champion has since bounced again with spectacular performances, together with a world greatest 600m time of 1:21.63 on the ISTAF assembly in Berlin.
Ethiopia’s Diribe Welteji is one other robust contender, contemporary off a strong efficiency on the World Indoor Championships the place she completed second within the 1500m with 3:59.30. She’ll be seeking to proceed that momentum in Kingston, the place she’ll face stiff competitors from the likes of 2024 world indoor silver medallist Nikki Hiltz from the US.
Racers: Jess Hull, Nikki Hiltz, Diribe Welteji, Mary Moraa
Challengers: Sage Hurta-Klecker, Heather MacLean, Natoya Goule-Toppin, Susan Ejore
Mary Moraa (ISTAF Berlin)
Males’s Lengthy Distance (3000m/5000m)
Grant Fisher, contemporary off setting two world indoor information, will open his outside season as a Challenger. The Olympic bronze medallist made waves within the indoor season, first clocking 7:22.91 to win the thrilling 3000m race towards 1500m Olympic champion Cole Hocker, breaking Lamecha Girma’s earlier report of seven:23.81. Then, Fisher took on a solo effort within the 5000m at Boston College, smashing Kenenisa Bekele’s long-standing report with a run of 12:44.09, surpassing the outdated mark of 12:49.60.
Within the Olympic remaining, Fisher completed simply behind Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who took gold, and Kenya’s Ronald Kwemoi, who received silver. The Kenyan might be seeking to problem Fisher as soon as once more as he’ll be eyeing a powerful efficiency in Kingston.
Including to the problem is Ethiopia’s Hagos Gebrhiwet, a former world junior record-holder within the 5000m with 12:47.53. Gebrhiwet at present holds the Ethiopian nationwide report for the 5000m at 12:36.73 and has a 3000m private greatest of seven:30.36, set in 2013.
Additionally becoming a member of the line-ups are America’s Cooper Teare and Ethiopia’s Telahun Haile Bekele, each bringing strong competitors.
Racers: Grant Fisher, Ronald Kwemoi, Hagos Gebrhiwet
Challengers: Cooper Teare, Thierry Ndikumwenayo, Charles Philibert-Thiboutot, Dylan Jacobs, Telahun Haile Bekele
Grant Fisher
Girls’s Lengthy Distance (3000m/5000m)
Kenya’s Agnes Ngetich, the ladies’s 10km world record-holder with 28:46, will face robust competitors from Ethiopia’s Tsige Gebreselama within the girls’s lengthy distance Slam. Ngetich has a powerful monitor report too, with private bests of 8:32.62 within the 3000m and 14:36.70 within the 5000m. Gebreselama, nevertheless, is even faster on paper, boasting instances of 14:18.76 within the 5000m and eight:24.40 within the 3000m.
Ethiopia’s Ejgayehu Taye can even be a key contender. Taye claimed the bronze medal within the 3000m on the 2022 World Indoor Championships and held the mixed-gender world report for the 5km street race from 2021 to 2024 with a time of 14:19. She additionally completed sixth within the 5000m on the Paris Olympics, and her type will make her a critical challenger to each Ngetich and Gebreselama.
Nice Britain’s Melissa Courtney-Bryant, contemporary off a silver medal within the girls’s 3000m on the European Indoor Championships, can even be one to observe. Earlier this yr, she set a 3000m world indoor lead on the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold assembly in Boston, clocking a private better of 8:28.69. That point put her simply forward of American Elise Cranny, who can even be racing in Kingston.
Racers: Nozomi Tanaka, Tsige Gebreselama, Agnes Ngetich, Elise Cranny
Challengers: Hellen Ekalale, Whittni Morgan, Melissa Courtney-Bryant, Ejgayehu Taye
Agnes Ngetich (10K Valencia Ibercaja)
Timetable (GMT)
Friday April 4
23:42 – Girls’s 200m (Lengthy Sprints)
23:54 – Males’s 400m (Lengthy Sprints)
00:04 – Girls’s 3000m (Lengthy Distance)
00:22 – Girls’s 800m (Quick Distance)
00:34 – Males’s 400m Hurdles (Lengthy Hurdles)
00:46 – Girls’s 400m Hurdles (Lengthy Hurdles)
00:56 – Males’s 5000m (Lengthy Distance)
01:21 – Males’s 100m (Quick Sprints)
Saturday April 5
23:42 – Males’s 110m Hurdles (Quick Hurdles)
23:56 – Males’s 200m (Lengthy Sprints)
00:10 – Girls’s 1500m (Quick Distance)
00:25 – Girls’s 100m Hurdles (Quick Hurdles)
00:38 – Girls’s 100m (Quick Sprints)
00:52 – Males’s 1500m (Quick Distance)
01:07 – Males’s 200m (Quick Sprints)
01:21 – Girls’s 400m (Lengthy Sprints)
Sunday April 6
20:42 – Girls’s 100m Hurdles (Quick Hurdles)
20:54 – Males’s 400m (Lengthy Hurdles)
21:04 – Girls’s 5000m (Lengthy Distance)
21:29 – Males’s 100m (Quick Hurdles)
21:39 – Males’s 800m (Quick Distance)
21:49 – Males’s 3000m (Lengthy Distance)
22:08 – Girls’s 200m (Quick Sprints)
22:21 – Girls’s 400m Hurdles (Lengthy Hurdles)
Grand Slam Monitor might be obtainable to observe within the UK and Eire on TNT Sports activities, whereas Eurosport will present the protection for audiences in Europe and Asia. For info on methods to watch from different components of the world, click on right here.
» 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
