by RBR Admin
Grand Slam Track is announcing some exciting athletes for the 2025 season!
GRAND SLAM TRACK™ Announces Signings of Trio of International Superstars: Alison Dos Santos, Muzala Samukonga, and Clement Ducos
Three global superstar Racers who all competed at Paris Olympics; Dos Santos is a two-time Olympic Bronze medalist, with Samukonga also winning Bronze this past summer.
New York, NY (September 26, 2024) – Grand Slam Track™, the new global home of professional track competition, launched earlier this year by four-time US Olympic Champion Michael Johnson, today officially announced the signings of Alison Dos Santos, Muzala Samukonga, and Clement Ducos, all of whom competed at this past summer’s Paris Olympic Games. The three speedsters typically compete over 400m, with Dos Santos and Ducos specializing in Hurdles. This trio of international superstars, from Brazil, France, and Zambia respectively, re-confirms Grand Slam Track™’s commitment to being the global home of Track competition, where the fastest men and women from all across the globe compete for bragging rights and massive prizes, starting in 2025.
“I am delighted to welcome three exceptional young international talents to the Grand Slam Track™ family,” said Michael Johnson, the league’s founder and Commissioner. “We have built Grand Slam Track™ to serve Track fans all around the world, and having Clement, Alison, and Muzala as part of the league will help ensure this. Track is the world’s oldest sport, and is beloved across the entire globe. We want to be a league that cherishes and celebrates that fact. We’re thrilled that each of these Racers sees our vision, and wants to help build a league the world can watch and enjoy together. I’m certain that each of them will bring their own personality and flair to Grand Slam Track™, as we find out who really are the fastest people on the planet.”
Dos Santos, from São Joaquim da Barra, São Paulo, Brazil, is the South American and Pan American record holder in the 400m Hurdles. He is a two-time Olympic Bronze medalist, in both Tokyo and at this summer’s Paris Olympic games, in addition to winning the 2022 World Championships. Samukonga, who hails from Lusaka, Zambia, was a flagbearer for Zambia at the Paris Olympics, where he went on to win the Bronze medal in the 400m. He also won the Gold medal in the 400m at both the 2022 African Championships and 2022 Commonwealth Games. He was the 400m Silver medalist at the 2024 African Games, and is currently the #2 ranked 400m runner in the world. Ducos, born in Bordeaux, France, is one of the hottest up and coming young talents in European athletics. He competed collegiately for the University of Tennessee, before appearing in his native country for his first Olympic Games this year, where he placed 4th in the final, narrowly missing the podium. The three global superstars will compete across all four Slams in 2025, with Grand Slam Track™ fans being able to look forward to seeing Dos Santos and Ducos lineup against each other.
“It is a wonderful moment for me to sign with Grand Slam Track™,” said Dos Santos. “I am very proud to be the first Brazilian to join this league, and look forward to representing my country on the biggest stage, across all four Slams. I am excited by the format of this league, and to have the opportunity to compete for big prizes and bragging rights against my rivals in this sport is a great situation to be in. I am sure the fans around the world will enjoy the spectacle we create, and I can’t wait to see so many of them at the Slams in 2025.”
“Being a part of Grand Slam Track™ is an honor, and I will proudly represent my country of Zambia in this league,” said Samukonga. “I’m excited to be able to continue racing at a high level against great competition across all four Slams. As soon as I heard about GST, I wanted to be involved, and now I can look ahead to some great races next year. This project will allow us as athletes to showcase ourselves in many new ways, and that is a very enticing prospect.”
“This is a very special opportunity for me,” said Ducos. “I am happy to be representing France in Grand Slam Track™, and look forward to competing against the best in the world in this league. This is a great platform for us as athletes to grow and stay at the forefront of sport around the world. Coming off the back of the Olympics, I am delighted to be able to be a part of GST and build this league. I look forward to continuing to test myself against many other great Racers, and can’t wait to get started.”
Each year, 48 athletes will be named to the league as GST Racers. Dos Santos, Ducos, and Samukonga join a star-studded roster of Racers featuring 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 are the first thirteen of the 48 Racers to be announced as signees with the league. These racers are selected by the Grand Slam Track™ Racing Committee based on a combination of factors to include the fastest and best racers in each race group, with a focus on fierce rivalries and thrilling competitive racing. GST Racers commit to racing in all four Slams per year. They will receive an annual base compensation for racing in each Slam and are eligible for full prize money. These GST Racers will receive annual contracts, access to the GST content and data services team, inclusion in the league collective, group licensing and new revenue opportunities, plus access to world class athlete support services throughout the season. GST racers are compensated under contract to race and promote the league and receive additional marketing and branding support.
The remaining 48 racers will be known as GST Challengers and will be paid a set appearance fee to compete at individual Slams. GST Challengers are chosen by the Grand Slam Track™ Racing Committee based on a combination of factors including recent performances, and the most intriguing athletes and matchups.
Racers and Challengers will be assigned to compete in one of the following categories, and will all race in two events during each Slam: short sprints (100m/200m), short hurdles (100H or 110H/100m), long sprints (200m/400m), long hurdles (400H/400m), short distance (800m/1500m), or long distance (3000m/5000m). All competitors’ final placement score will be determined by their combined finishing order between the two races. In the event of a tie across the two events, it will be the athlete who had the quickest combined time across the two races who will be deemed the winner. The winner of each Slam group will take home $100,000 in prize money, and the 8th place competitor will earn $10,000. Grand Slam Track™ will have a total of $12.6m of prize money that will be awarded across the slams each year in addition to the base compensation and appearance fees paid to racers.
The focus of Grand Slam Track™ is on head to head competition, not winning times. There will be no rabbits or pacing lights. Each Slam is equally as important as any other, will have its own prize purse, and will be independently scored, with points and previous finishes not carrying over to the following Slams. All racers will compete twice over the three-day event, and all Slam events will meet World Athletics regulations, with achieved marks being eligible for rankings and standards.
Racers will compete in their own sponsored kits, without traditional hip numbers or bibs. Racers and Challengers are encouraged to work with their sponsors to create customized kits, in their own desired style. Grand Slam Track™ has no affiliation or sponsorship agreement with any shoe company; all shoe companies are considered to be important stakeholders and partners in the promotion of our racers.
Grand Slam Track™ has secured more than $30 million in financial commitments from investors and strategic partners for the launch of the league. Winners Alliance, a global, athlete-centric
commercial solution and Johnson’s operating partner, was the lead investor in the first fundraising close for the new venture. The investment in the league will aid in Johnson’s ultimate goal: to develop better engagement with fans by promoting track and field’s biggest stars and reaching new audiences with unique, innovative storytelling.
Ticket sales information will be released in due course. For further information, please follow @GrandSlamTrack on all social media platforms, and visit grandslamtrack.com.
About Michael Johnson
Born in Dallas, Texas, Michael Johnson is a Hall of Fame track and field star, universally recognized as one of the greatest sprinters of all time. He won four Olympic gold medals and eight World Championships across his career, and held world and Olympic records in both the 200m and 400m races. At the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Johnson became the first and only male athlete to win the Gold medal in both the 200m and 400m at the same Olympics. Since retiring from active competition, Johnson has become a serial entrepreneur and investor, as well as highly sought after performance mindset speaker and an award winning television commentator. Johnson has been a pundit for the BBC’s coverage of every Olympics Games since Athens 2004, and remains a key voice on, and advocate for the sport. Johnson was inducted into the United States Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2004.
