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≡ GRAND SLAM TRACK ≡
The final venue for the first year of the Grand Slam Track project was unveiled Thursday as Franklin Field in Philadelphia, site of the famed Penn Relays, to be held on 30-31 May and 1 June.
The 2025 schedule now includes:
● 04-06 April: Grand Slam Track in Kingston, Jamaica
● 02-04 May: Grand Slam Track in Miramar, Florida
● 30 May-01: Grand Slam Track in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The fourth meet has been confirmed to be in Los Angeles, but the date is expected to be announced on Friday. Based on the first three, dates at the end of June are to be anticipated.
The Philadelphia meet comes a month after the 24-26 April Penn Relays, so no conflict there. Because the Grand Slam Track concept does not include field events, Franklin Field, with its limited infield facilities and odd track arrangement for the inner lanes, presents no problems in presentation.
The three venues chosen so far are quite different in size:
● 52,593 capacity for Franklin Field in Philadelphia
● 28,500 capacity for the National Stadium in Kingston
● 5,000 capacity for the Ansin Sports Complex in Miramar
The Grand Slam Track meet dates have mostly avoided direct clashes with the Wanda Diamond League, except for the Miramar meet, which is on top of the second Diamond League meet in China:
● 04-06 April: Grand Slam Track in Kingston, Jamaica
● 26 April: Diamond League I in Xiamen (CHN)
● 02-04 May: Grand Slam Track in Miramar, Florida
● 03 May: Diamond League II in Suzhou (CHN)
● 10-11 May: World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou (CHN)
● 16 May: Diamond League III in Doha (QAT)
● 25 May: Diamond League IV in Rabat (MAR)
● 30 May-01: Grand Slam Track in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
● 06 June: Diamond League V in Rome (ITA)
● 08 June: USATF L.A. Grand Prix in Los Angeles, California
If the Grand Slam Track meet in Los Angeles is held at the end of June or beginning of July, it could conflict with the 29 June USATF NYC Grand Prix or the 5 July Prefontaine Classic in Eugene. More on that on Friday.
The Grand Slam Track meets will include 96 athletes in track events only: 48 seasonally-contracted “Racers” and 48 single-meet “Challengers” in a two-race format:
“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 (100 m/200 m), short hurdles (100H or 110H/100 m), long sprints (200 m/400 m), long hurdles (400H/400 m), short distance (800 m/1500 m), or long distance (3000 m/5000 m).”
Prize money of $100,000 down to $10,000 for eighth place will be available in each race.
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