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≡ GRAND SLAM TRACK ≡
One of the welcome approaches to fans by Grand Slam Track is to publish its entry lists two weeks ahead of the initial Slam in Jamaica at the start of April and now the second meet, in Miramar, Florida on 2-4 May.
The circuit announced that Paris 2024 Olympic men’s 400 m champion Quincy Hall is injured and has been replaced as a “Racer” by Tokyo Olympic champ Steven Gardiner (BAH), now back from his own injury issues.
The Thursday post of the Miramar entries showed:
Men’s Short Sprints (100/200 m):
● Racers: Kenny Bednarek (USA), Fred Kerley (USA), Oblique Seville (JAM), Zharnel Hughes (GBR).
● Challengers: Andre De Grasse (CAN), Ackeem Blake (JAM), Jerome Blake (CAN), Benji Richardson (RSA).
Bednarek swept both the 100 and 200 m in Kingston, with Hughes and Seville following.
Men’s Long Sprints (200/400 m):
● Racers: Matthew Hudson-Smith (GBR), Muzala Samukonga (ZAM), Steven Gardiner (BAH), Jereem Richards (TTO).
● Challengers: Bryce Deadmon (USA), Alexander Ogando (DOM), Jacory Patterson (USA), Ryan Zeze (FRA).
Hudson-Smith won in Kingston, but now has Gardiner to deal with. Patterson and Deadmon are 2-3 in the world in 2025 at 44.27 and 44.30 in the past two weeks.
Men’s Short Distance (800/1,500 m):
● Racers: Cole Hocker (USA), Josh Kerr (GBR), Yared Nuguse (USA), Marco Arop (CAN).
● Challengers: Timothy Cheruiyot (KEN), Kethobogile Haingura (BOT), Tshepo Tshite (RSA), Peter Bol (AUS).
Kenyan Olympic 800 m winner Emmanuel Wanyonyi – a Challenger – and Arop went 1-2, embarrassing the milers, with Nuguse third. The 1,500 m comes first again on the schedule and will be key.
Men’s Long Distance (3,000/5,000 m):
● Racers: Grant Fisher (USA), Ronald Kwemoi (KEN), Hagos Gebrhiwet (ETH).
● Challengers: Cooper Teare (USA), Andrew Coscoran (IRL), George Mills (GBR), Sam Atkin (GBR), Dawit Seare (ERI).
Fisher won the 5,000 m and Gebrhiwet won the 3,000 m, with Fisher having to sprint for home to get third in the 3,000 m and win the Slam.
Men’s Short Hurdles (110 m hurdles/100 m):
● Racers: Freddie Crittenden (USA), Sasha Zhoya (FRA), Daniel Roberts (USA).
● Challengers: Trey Cunningham (USA), Wilhelm Belocian (FRA), Jamal Britt (USA), Dylan Beard (USA), Michael Obasuyi (BEL).
Zhoya won the 100 m easily to take the Slam in Kingston, but now faces hurdles world leader Cunningham, who ran 13.09 last week in Gainesville, Florida to beat Olympic champ Grant Holloway.
Men’s Long Hurdles (400 m hurdles/400 m):
● Racers: Alison dos Santos (BRA), Caleb Dean (USA), Roshawn Clarke (JAM).
● Challengers: Trevor Bassitt (USA), Malik James-King (USA), Chris Robinson (USA), Ludvy Vaillant (FRA), Khallifah Rosser (USA).
Dos Santos was the clear winner in Kingston and maintains the world lead at 47.61 in the hurdles; Clarke was second. But it will be fascinating to see what happens now with 400 m world leader Chris Robinson (44.15 last week) suddenly emerging as a threat at both distances, after finishing fourth in the Kingston Slam.
Women’s Short Sprints (100/200 m):
● Racers: Gabby Thomas (USA), Brittany Brown (USA), Daryll Neita (GBR), Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (USA)
● Challengers: Tamari Davis (USA), Jacious Sears (USA), Favour Ofili (NGR), Kayla White (USA).
Thomas is moving down from the Long Sprints, which she won impressively in Kingston, taking the 200 and second in the 400. Jefferson-Wooden won the Kingston Slam in this group, with Sears third, but will have her hands full with Thomas.
Women’s Long Sprints (200/400 m):
● Racers: Nickisha Pryce (JAM), Alexis Holmes (USA), Marileidy Paulino (DOM), Salwa Eid Naser (BRN).
● Challengers: Amber Anning (GBR), Bella Whittaker (USA), Kendall Ellis (USA), Stacey Ann Williams (JAM).
Naser was sensational with a world-leading 48.67 in the 400 m and second to Thomas in Kingston, with Paulino third. Arkansas star Whittaker won the NCAA Indoor 400 m title and had the fastest indoor time of 2025 at 49.24. Interesting.
Women’s Short Distance (800/1,500 m):
● Racers: Jess Hull (AUS), Nikki Hiltz (USA), Diribe Welteji (ETH), Mary Moraa (KEN).
● Challengers: Shafiqua Maloney (VIN), Freweyni Hailu (ETH), Emily Mackay (USA), Lucia Stafford (CAN).
Hiltz got a lifetime best and the world 800 m lead at 1:58.23 in Kingston and Welteji got the 1,500 m world lead at 4:04.51 and won the Slam, 20-18 over Hiltz. Hull, the Paris Olympic 1,500 m runner-up, finished fourth overall and will be looking for better results.
Women’s Long Distance (3,000/5,000 m):
● Racers: Nozomi Tanaka (JPN), Tsige Gebreselama (ETH), Agnes Ngetich (KEN), Elise Cranny (USA).
● Challengers: Aynadis Mebratu (ETH), Janeth Chepngetich (KEN), Medina Eisa (ETH), Hirut Meshesha (ETH).
Ngetich and Gebreselama ran 2-3 in both races in Kingston and were 2-3 in the Slam behind winner Ejgayehu Taye (ETH). Look out for Meshesha, the 2024 All-African Games winner who has been more of a middle-distance runner, but now moving up.
Women’s Short Hurdles (100 m hurdles/100 m):
● Racers: Ackera Nugent (JAM), Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (PUR), Masai Russell (USA), Cyrena Samba-Mayela (FRA).
● Challengers: Keni Harrison (USA), Tia Jones (USA), Maribel Vanessa Caicedo (ECU), Alaysha Johnson (USA).
Jones stole the Kingston hurdles over Olympic champs Camacho-Quinn and Russell, but Jamaica’s Danielle Williams won the Slam as a Challenger, with Nugent third. In the meantime, Russell tuned up with a 12.62 run for a heat win in Gainesville last week; is she more ready this time?
Women’s Long Hurdles (400 m hurdles/400 m):
● Racers: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA), Shamier Little (USA), Rushell Clayton (JAM).
● Challengers: Anna Hall (USA), Sarah Carli (AUS), Naomi Van den Broeck (NED), Shiann Salmon (JAM), Andrenette Knight (JAM).
McLaughlin-Levrone left no doubt with wins in both races in Kingston and a world-leading 52.76 in the hurdles. Knight got third in the Slam, but Miramar has the addition of 2023 Worlds heptathlon silver winner Hall, the 2022 NCAA runner-up in the hurdles, but who last ran it in 2023.
Scoring in each event group (two races) is 12-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 and the placers in each group will win $100,000-50,000-30,000-25,000-20,000-15,000-12,500-10,000.
The Kingston opener had world-leading marks in nine events, but modest attendance. Both totals are hoped to increase in Miramar.
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