2025 Grand Slam Track: Observations on the first day in Kingston

This is my review of the first session of the Grand Slam Track, for 4 April 2025, in Kingston, Jamaica.

The Grand Slam Track series has been anticipated for over a year. This is the shake-down cruise, the first meet, and there will be issues and anyone who does not appreciate the complexity of taking 96 athletes, staff, TV global crews, and media.

I watched all clips on NBC/Peacock, Eurosport (in Slovak), and the global broadcast. I re-watched the clips. I watched the entire Peacock broadcast on Friday and will do so on Saturday. On Sunday morning, I am reviewing the Grand Slam with my friend Ed Harry on BBC World Sports.

Here are my observations from Friday night:

1. The races on the first night were fun and exciting, and the athletes performed. I loved them opening with the women’s 200 meters, with Gabby Thomas. Gabby Thomas ran 22.63, which was not an incredible time, but that race, the battle between Gabby, Dina-Asher Smith, and Mareleidys Paulino, kept us interested! Gabby Thomas has a million-dollar-plus smile. Her gold medals in Paris (200m, 4x100m, 4x400m), have given her the “Golden Girl” title. Gabby came out of Paris as the big American star. She continued that through Athlos and has now, in the first meet of the Grand Slam Track, Gabby Thomas opened the meet in style. Gabby Thomas will race the 400 meters as well, and all athletes will double in each of the four events. Eight races each night. Dina Asher-Smith took third, and the short sprints for women are very tough!

   

2. Nikki Hiltz ran a fine 800 meters in 1:58. They held off Diribe Welteji, who did this great move at the end of the race to try and take the win! Nikki is in great form. At Millrose, I spoke with a keen observer who thinks that Nikki Hiltz is the next American distance superstar and perhaps, perhaps, a global superstar. I concur. Nikki knows how to race, and their excitement with their win over Welteji and Jessica Hull, the Australian star. The 800 meter racers will also race the 1,500 meters on Saturday. The women’s short distance is pretty impressive with the well developed field of racers and challengers.

   

3. Alison Dos Santos took the 400 meter hurdles. The long hurdles have the World Champion from 2022, and two time Olympic bronze medalist, coming back from an Olympic season. Alison Dos Santos ran 47.63, an early season world leader. Alison did not race against Rai Benjamin (who told RBR that he would not run GST due to two races in one weekend), and Karsten Warholm (not even racing yet). The men’s long hurdles may be the weakest event of the GST program. The men’s long hurdles will next race the 400 meters.

   

4. The men’s 400 meters, the long sprints, was won by Chris Bailey, coming off his World Indoor 400m gold and World Indoor 4x400m gold (and Paris 4x400m gold). Chris went by Matthew Hudson-Smith, the British record holder, and European record holder, in an exciting 44.34 to Matthew’s 44.65 and Vernon Norwood’s 44.70. Three men under 45 in early April, and a good race, yes, i liked this one. The men’s long sprints race 200 meters next. All racers double in the Grand Slam Track series. Points go for all eight races, and money goes to all 8 as well! And great recognition of our buddy, Vernon Norwood.

   

5. Kudos to Micheal Johnson and his dream. That the TV will be shown in 189 countries. MJ said that is because athletes committed, 46 races and 46 challengers. I also liked the way that the Commissioner was able to cover the ten athletes who pulled out at last might. It was nice to see 2015 World bronze medalist 10,000m Emily Infeld be added to the long distances when Melissa Courtney-Bryant pulled out with an injury.

   

6. The men’s long distances began with a 5,000m. Without pacemakers, this was all about racing and it took a 51 second last lap by Grant Fisher, WR at 3,000m indoors and 5,000m indoors (plus 10,000m and 5,000m outdoor AR), who got caught napping, but took the win in style, with Cooper Teare, Dylan Jacobs and Hagos Gebrihewit running a pedestrian 5000m of 14:39.4, but, the racing was fun!  I am mixed on a race that goes out in 2:57 for the first kilometer, but I will give it the benefit of the doubt! Men race 3,000m next. Grant Fisher accelerated over the last 200m, answering Hagos Gebrihewit’s charge! Fifty-one seconds over the last lap, 26.2 for the last 200 meters for Grant, Dylan Jacobs ran well, and Cooper Teare really moved over the last 150 meters! Fun finish!

   

7. The women’s long distances began with a 3,000m, and it was a race from the beginning, not the the men’s jog and race. Eljageyehu Taye, who I watched race at the Ras Al Khaimah Half marathon on February 1, won the 3,000m in 8:28.42 over Kenya’s Agnes Jebet Ngetich in 8:28.75 PB and Tsigi Gebreselama, in third in 8:38.15 (who won RAK Half marathon in 2024). Whitni Morgana and Elise Cranny were 5th and 6th in the race. Next race is 5,000 for women’s long distances.

   

8. The women’s long hurdles was one of the most anticipated events of the series. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the Olympic champion, and world record holder at the 400m hurdles, delivered, in 52.76, running quite well. The announcers noted that Sydney hurdles, alternating legs, and hits about 14 steps between most hurdles. That attention to detail is key in bringing in more than the most addicted track fans. For Grand Slam Track to succeed, Michael Johnson MUST attract the general sports fans in North America, as well as around the world!

   

9. The final event of the day was the Men’s short sprints, the 100 meters! Kenny Bednarek won the 100 meters in 10.07, over Jamaica’s Oblique Seville, 10.08, Zarnel Hughes, GB, 10.13. Fred Kerley was seventh! Fred needs a few more races. Kenny Bednarek, beside coming from Wisconsin is thoughtful, articulate, and handsome. His racing speaks for itself as the Olympic silver medalist (two-time) delivers each season.

   

10. The commentating: Color done by Steve Cram, Carrie Tollefson and Anson Henry. Steve, aka “Crammy”, a global star in commentating, and former WR at 1,500m, did the live coverage of each race. Carrie Tollefson provided some good commentary for the middle and long distances and Anson Henry, added some really well delivered thoughtful commentary. The Grand Slam Track host team ws John Anderson (ESPN, he does NCAA XC each year and track), Sanya Richards-Ross, and Matthew Centrowitz provided color commentary. Matthew Centrowitz did much better than I expected, he had done his homework and was poised, he just needed a good warm up. John Anderson is fun, light and he knows that he is trying to get sports fans involved. Sanya Richards-Ross, is a consumate veteran, and holds her own in a male dominated sports communications world. Steve Cram is always relaxed, prepared and he provides in depth behind the scenes content for the fans. Carrie Tollefson is doing a great job as well, Carrie, an Olympic Trials champion (2004, 1,500m). Carrie is from the midwest, so I like her just for that, but her ability to juggle family life and modern broadcasting challenges is to be admired. Anson Henry did a great job on the first session, again giving the remote fans a chance to learn more about the athletes. Matthew Centrowitz was enthusiastic, and his commentary on the 3,000m was overall good, he will get better as he gets more experience.

    

11. Marshall McLuhan was an evangelist of the modern communcation world. He is know for saying “the medium is the message.” What I like about GST for a remote media member is the access to various content. I was sent photos for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, links for flashquotes and 3 comms people sending me notes on each and every race (well, not the 3,000m and 5,000m). This is done faster than Continental Tour meets. I would like a mixed virtual zone like Diamond League but that is not MJ’s fault.
12. Watching on peacock, we are seeing all races, with great production values, strong commentating, and even color commentating. I would give Grand Slam Track a B for this first session. The competition is well covered, the commentating is fun and focused, but the crowd takes away from the perception. I would suggest MJ Gold offer fans tshirts, a subway sandwich and a soft drink to come intot he stadium. That is what the Greeks did in 2006 at the World Cup. Day 1 had 5,000 fans, day 2 had 35,000 (stadium sat 80,000), due to the free tshirts, sandwich, soft drink and Greek military buses getting everyone to the Olympic stadium. The fact is this: this stadium in Jamaica is chock full of fans for the Jamaican High School Championships, and like the US, elite meets are not promoted enough to draw a strong fan base, except at NIKE Pre, and even those numbers have decreased.

    

13. One of the best content pieces that I have seen in a meet is the short video on how Grand Slam Track breaks out. Well done
    

    The how and why of @grandslamtrack beautifully explained! Well done @mjgold https://t.co/pnWgE193nY

    — RunBlogRun (@RunBlogRun) April 3, 2025

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14. I have heard mixed comments from my viewers. Some did not like anything on day one. They did not like the plethora of commentary. They complained on the lack of fans, but again, it is on the first day. Some really liked the photos and social media that we posted and told us that they loved the clips.
15. I spoke to a couple of global sponsors of the sport. One noted that they were not watching the future of the sport. Another noted that it was a high school meet. And then, Patrick Magyar, one of the founders of the Diamond League, wrote a scathing review of the Grand Slam Track debut, which he calle GRAND SLAM FLOP on linked in: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/patrick-k-magyar_from-grand-slam-to-grand-flop-a-lesson-ugcPost-7314364588068691968-TDjO/?utm_medium=ios_app&rcm=ACoAAAAb5zgB-egMOSG3TiUkrEHdOBeyYWoA5_A&utm_source=social_share_send&utm_campaign=messages
16. My take? I think that the lack of fans will be what sponsors see. The TV coverage was good, with an overly enthusiastic crew, who love track and are going the entire way telling us the behind the scenes of the sport. I will give Michael Johnson three days of this meet and let him show us his vision. I like that he has put his reputation and focus on the line to make the Grand Slam Track work. Let’s give them the chance to succeed. Many times, track and field eats its young. This is a tough audience, and the sponsors who will help Grand Slam Track grow, or help Diamond League and World Athletics grow. The battle is on!