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≡ GRAND SLAM TRACK ≡
With the opening of the Grand Slam Track season coming soon from 4-6 April in Kingston, Jamaica, the list of “Challengers” is slowly being filled to complete the fields.
Announced on Thursday were four more entries, who will compete in three of the event groups:
Men/Short Distance (800 m + 1,500 m):
● Challenger (new): Bryce Hoppel (USA) ~ American Record
● Challenger (new): Emmanuel Wanyonyi (KEN) ~ Paris Olympic Champion
● Racer: Marco Arop (CAN) ~ 2023 World Champion
● Racer: Cole Hocker (USA) ~ Paris Olympic 1,500 m Champion
● Racer: Yared Nuguse (USA) ~ Paris Olympic 1,500 bronze
● Racer: Josh Kerr (GBR) ~ 2023 World 1,500 m Champion
Women/Short Sprints (100 m + 200 m):
● Challenger (new): Jacious Sears (USA) ~ World no. 3 in 2024 (10.77)
● Challenger: Alana Reid (JAM) ~ 2024 World Junior Champion
● Racer: Brittany Brown (USA) ~ Paris Olympic 200 m bronze
● Racer: Melissa Jefferson (USA) ~ Paris Olympic 100 m bronze
● Racer: Daryll Neita (GBR) ~ 4th in Paris Olympic 100 m final
● Racer: Gabby Thomas (USA) ~ Paris Olympic 200 m Champion
Women/Long Sprints (200 m + 400 m):
● Challenger (new): Dina Asher-Smith (GBR) ~ 2019 200 m World Champion
● Racer: Salwa Eid Naser (BRN) ~ 2019 World 400 m Champion
● Racer: Alexis Holmes (USA) ~ 2025 USA Indoor 400 m Champion
● Racer: Nickisha Pryce (JAM) ~ 2024 NCAA 400 m Champion
● Racer: Marileidy Paulino (DOM) ~ Paris Olympic 400 m Champion
This brings the total of announced “Challengers” to 10 out of 48, with the full complement of 48 “Racers” already selected.
The fun part of this is that 800 m specialists like Arop, Hoppel and Wanyonyi will now be seen in the 1,500 m and vice versa for mile stars like Hocker, Kerr and Nuguse.
Each race group will have eight athletes, so more “Challengers’ will be signed for each meet and in all race groups, also including Short Distance (800-1,500 m) and Long Distance (3,000 m-5,000 m). A total of 24 events will be held over the three days of each Slam. The scoring:
“Competitors will receive points for their finishing position in each of their two races. From 1st to 8th place the points are distributed as: 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1. The competitor who finishes with the highest total number of points after the completion of both events will be crowned Slam Champion for their event group with prize money being paid out to each corresponding place.”
Prize money will range from $100,000 for the group winner, down to $10,000.
The four meets are in Kingston (4-6 April), Miramar, Florida (2-4 May), Philadelphia (30 May-1 June) and Los Angeles (27-29 June).
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