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≡ GRAND SLAM TRACK II ≡
Day two of the second Grand Slam Track meet at the Ansin Sports Complex in Miramar, Florida, with warm weather once again at 84 F and 60% humidity, good once again for the sprinters.
Concerning a high-profile off-the-track incident, Grand Slam Track issued a short statement on its Friday broadcast about sprint star Fred Kerley of the U.S. – a Racer for Grand Slam Track – who was arrested on Thursday evening in an altercation with hurdler and ex-girlfriend Alaysha Johnson, explaining “Fred Kerley was arrested last night. The matter is under investigation, and all inquiries should be directed to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office. Fred will not compete this weekend.”
Johnson ran the women’s 100 m hurdles on Friday (sixth), but did not start in the women’s 100 m on Saturday.
On the track, there were world leaders in three events on Friday; and two more on Saturday:
● Men/400 m: 43.98, Jacory Patterson (USA)
● Women/400 m hurdles: 52.07, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA)
Race-by-race:
● Women/400 m hurdles (long hurdles):
The program started with U.S. superstar Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone on the track in lane six, already the world leader at 52.76.
McLaughlin-Levrone was out well and steamed down the backstraight, coming up so quickly on a couple of hurdles that she had to chop her step, and running away from the field. She was all alone off the second turn and stormed home in a world-leading 52.07.
Jamaican Andrenette Knight was a distant second in 54.08 and U.S. heptathlon star Anna Hall, the 2022 NCAA runner-up, was third in 54.43, just 0.01 from her best in 2023.
● Men/400 m (long sprints):
Olympic and World Champion Steven Gardiner (BAH) is a new Racer, but was chasing Jereem Richards (TTO) and Alexander Ogando (DOM) from the 200 m on Friday.
Richards started off well, with Gardiner appearing to be hurt and did not finish. Into the turn, Richards had a slight lead, with Britain’s Olympic 400 m silver man Matthew Hudson-Smith challenging. But off the turn, ex-Florida star Jacory Patterson – in lane eight – came back on Richards in seven and got past in the final 50 m and won in a lifetime best and world-leading 43.98!
Patterson’s prior best was 44.27; Richards, better known in the 200, was second in his fourth-fastest lap ever in 44.32, with Hudson-Smith at 44.37 in third. They’re now 1-7-8 in the world for 2025.
In the Slam, Richards scored 20 for the win, with Patterson at 15, and Ogando (who was fifth in 44.78) at 12. Patterson won $50,000 for second and said in his interview, he’s now thinking about quitting his UPS overnight job and just concentrate on track!
● Women/100 m (short hurdles):
After Masai Russell’s American Record of 12.17 on Friday, what could she do in the 100 m? Her best coming in was 11.54 from 2022 and Saturday was only her fourth career race at the distance.
Off the gun, however, it didn’t take long for Jamaica’s Ackera Nugent to take charge and by mid-race, she was gone and won, equaling her lifetime best of 11.09 (+0.9 m/s).
Fellow Jamaican Megan Tapper was a clear second in a lifetime best of 11.33, then Keni Harrison of the U.S. in 11.35. Russell was fourth in a lifetime best 11.40. That all meant that Nugent won the Slam with 18, followed by Russell with 17, and Tapper third at 12.
● Women/1,500 m (short distance):
Olympic 1,500 m seventh-placer Nikki Hiltz of the U.S. dominated this group in Kingston, and started off in the lead, but with a very slow pace of 73.97 at 400 m.
Kenya’s Mary Moraa, the 2023 World 800 m champ, took over at 800 m and the 1,500 specialists figured out they needed to pick up the pace. Freweyni Hailu (ETH) and Hiltz took over at the bell and there were four in contention with 200 m to go, with Diribe Welteji (ETH) and Olympic silver winner Jess Hull (AUS) in attendance.
Haliu came into the straight in front of Welteji, and a Hiltz surge in the final 50 m from fourth came up just short, in 4:06.96 and 4:07.08. Welteji and Hull were 3-4 in 4:07.46 and 4:07.87. Moraa, in her first 1,500 ever, paid for her early effort and was eighth in 4:24.44.
● Men/110 m hurdles (short hurdles):
Five Americans in this race, with 2022 Worlds silver winner Trey Cunningham as a new Challenger and Paris Olympic silver winner Daniel Roberts looking for better results than in Kingston (fourth).
Cunningham was sharp and got to the front quickly and stayed calm and consistent, holding on off the 10th hurdle and leaning for the win at a fast 13.00 (+1.4), equaling his lifetime best! France’s Sasha Zhoya, who won the Slam in Kingston, got a lifetime best of 13.06 in second and was pressed by Crittenden at 13.09 in third. American Jamal Britt was fourth in 13.10.
The top three are now 2-3 and equal-4th in the world for 2025.
● Men/100 m (short sprints):
American Brandon Hicklin, who ran a lifetime best of 9.93 in April, replaced Kerley in this race, with Olympic 100 seventh-placer Kenny Bednarek looking to win again after Kingston.
Off the gun, it was Jamaicans Ackeem Blake and Oblique Seville and Bednarek at the front, but by mid-race, Bednarek took over and flew to the line in a brilliant 9.79, with just-over-the-allowable 2.4 m/s wind! A major statement and his fastest ever under all conditions.
Seville was second in 9.84w, Blake in 9.85w and then Zharnel Hughes (GBR) in 9.87w. Wow!
● Men/800 m (short distances):
The 1,500 m men asserted their authority over their own distance on Friday, with Josh Kerr (GBR) and Yared Nuguse and Cole Hocker of the U.S. going 1-2-3. Dealing with 2023 World Champion Marco Arop (CAN) and world leader Peter Bol (AUS) was the challenge.
Arop got to the lead first and took the bell at 51.63, with Nuguse following. Arop pushed hard down the backstraight and had 2 m with 200 m to go. Arop was smooth and barely got to the line first in 1:43.69, barely ahead of 2024 African Champs silver winner Kethobogile Haingura (BOT: 1:43.75 lifetime best) and Bol (1:44.13).
Behind them was Nuguse with a lifetime best of 1:44.77, then Kerr with a PR of 1:45.01. That gave Kerr the Slam with 16 points, with Arop second (14) and then Haingura (13) winning on combined time with Nuguse (also 13).
● Women/200 m (short sprints):
Olympic 100 m bronzer Melissa Jefferson-Wooden won the 100 on Friday in a windy 10.75, now facing Olympic champion Gabby Thomas in her prime event, who was fourth in the 100.
Off the start, Thomas was terrific, making up the stagger on lane five outside of her, but Jefferson-Wooden was right there with her into the straight! Outside of Jefferson-Wooden in lane eight was Tamari Davis, who was right there with 50 m to go.
Thomas surged again in the final 10 m and won in 21.95, with a legal 1.1 m/s wind, just ahead of Davis, who got a lifetime best of 22.05, then Jefferson-Wooden with a major lifetime best of 22.15. Thomas moved up to no. 2 in the world in 2025, with Davis and Jefferson-Wooden now 3-4.
The third place gave Jefferson-Wooden 18 points to defend her Slam from Kingston, with Thomas at 17 and Davis at 16.
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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.
Sunday’s finale in Miramar will be from 3-6 p.m., on The CW and Peacock.
Around the track, Saturday’s crowd at the 5,000-capacity facility looked full on the home straight again, with much better coverage on the backstraight, perhaps 4,000 in the house.
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