Jamaica will welcome some of the world’s best athletes next year, with Kingston being named as the host city for the inaugural Grand Slam Track meet.
Kingston, which joins Los Angeles as a confirmed venue, kicks off Grand Slam Track’s first ever season, with the event taking place at the National Stadium in Independence Park (April 4,5 & 6, 2025).
The other two destinations will be confirmed later.
The meet in Kingston also occurs a few weeks before the first Diamond League next season, which is in Xiamen on April 26.
“We are thrilled to be bringing Grand Slam Track to Kingston,” said Michael Johnson, the league’s founder and commissioner. “Jamaica has such a strong history in this sport. The talent and the love for the sport here make it a perfect fit for what we’re building.
“It’s going to be an incredible event, and we’re proud to have Kingston as one of our four Slams in our inaugural season to kick this whole thing off.”
The National Stadium in Jamaica has experience of hosting incredible events, from the Racers Grand Prix and Jamaican National Championships to the ISSA Grace Kennedy Boys and Girls Championships (better known as ‘Champs’).
“We are proud and excited that Kingston has been selected to host the inaugural Grand Slam event,” said Garth Gayle, President of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA).
“As the local governing body for the sport, we see this as a testament to our past and present athletes, whose achievements and legacy have established Jamaica as the track capital of the world.
“This event also marks an important milestone for the development of our future athletes, who will benefit from the opportunity to see the world’s greatest track stars up close and personal on a local calendar.”
A total of 32 athletes have signed up for Grand Slam Track so far: Ackera Nugent, Roshawn Clarke, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Melissa Jefferson, Masai Russell, Quincy Hall, Fred Kerley, Kenny Bednarek, Cole Hocker, Yared Nuguse, Grant Fisher, Josh Kerr, Matthew Hudson-Smith, Nikki Hiltz, Cyrena Samba-Mayela, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, Alison dos Santos, Ronald Kwemoi, Muzala Samukonga, Clement Ducos, Marileidy Paulino, Jess Hull, Daniel Roberts, Shamier Little, Marco Arop, Devon Allen, Jasmine Jones, Jereem Richards, Luis Grijalva, Rushell Clayton, Agnes Ngetich, and Tsigie Gebreselama.
All of these athletes will be Racers which means they compete in all four of the Slams and receive an annual base compensation for competing in each one, as well as being eligible for full prize money.
At Grand Slam Track there will be 48 Racers every season. They 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 (100m hurdles or 110m hurdles/100m), long sprints (200m/400m), long hurdles (400m hurdles/400m), short distance (800m/1500m), or long distance (3000m/5000m).
Source: AW
