With just two meets remaining in its inaugural season, Grand Slam Track rolls into Philadelphia on May 31 and June 1 riding a wave of momentum from the Miami event earlier in the month.
Meanwhile, a reloaded group of Challengers look to steal some of the spotlight at Franklin Field from a notable Racer lineup that includes Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Gabby Thomas, Josh Kerr, Grant Fisher and Kenny Bednarek — among others.
McLaughlin-Levrone, Bednarek and Alison Dos Santos were dominant at the Miami meet, with event category sweeps that mimicked their wins at the first Slam in Kingston, Jamaica in April. All three are certainly contenders to be crowned Racer of the Year when the league wraps in Los Angeles in late June.
But Philadelphia comes first, with changes to the event schedule and new faces lining up the $100,000 top cash prizes.
The meet has been trimmed to just two days for Philadelphia and down from the three days of events previously staged in Kingston and Miami. The competition was planned for May 30 to June 1 and will now begin on May 31 — with events on Saturday and Sunday.
League commissioner Michael Johnson said fan feedback played a heavy role in the new format but he shortened schedule also means that races will be cut. The long distance category’s 3,000m and 5,000m events will just be a single 3,000m race and those athletes in that group will only be eligible for a $50,000 top prize instead of the $100,000 like the other events.
League organizers have not revealed if the final meet in Los Angeles in late June will also be two days of competition.
How Does The Grand Slam Track Format Work?
All competitors are placed into six event groups: short sprints (100m and 200m), short hurdles (100m hurdles and 100m or 110m hurdles and 100m), long sprints (200m and 400m), long hurdles (400m hurdles and 400m), short distance (800m and 1500m) and long distance (3,000m). The long distance group will only feature one race because of the newly-modified schedule.
After each event, athletes are awarded points based on results which decide the winner of each group.
At the conclusion of the season in Los Angeles, an overall men’s and women’s champion will be chosen.
Top Races To Watch
Women’s short hurdles – 110m hurdles/100m flat
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is on a mission to sweep another Slam after commanding her race groups in Kingston and Miami. But in Philadelphia, she switches things up and moves down to the 100m hurdles and 100m flat — from the 400m hurdles and 400m flat — to test her versatility against a field that includes Ackera Nugent, Tia Jones and Ditaji Kambundji.
Men’s short distance – 800m/1500m
For the third straight Grand Slam Track meet, the trio of Josh Kerr, Cole Hocker and Yared Nuguse will bring star power and Olympic-caliber competition to the short distance race group. Of course all three athletes were the entire podium of the men’s 1,500m final from last year’s Paris Games and have plenty to prove after showings in Kingston and Miami that were not as dominant as expected. Still, the group is primed for a breakout performance and Philadelphia might be the perfect stage. Marco Arop, Hobbs Kesser and Josh Hoey will also be in the mix and have enough firepower to play the role of spoiler.
Women’s short sprints (100m/200m)
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden has been one of the breakout names of the league and has pieced strong performances together that have taken a chunk of the spotlight from Gabby Thomas in the short sprints group. But Jefferson-Wooden’s momentum after grabbing the Slam title in Miami could be enough to hold off Thomas again, along with keeping Dina Asher-Smith and Daryll Neita a safe distance away as she look for another win in the women’s short sprints group.
Men’s short sprints (100m/200m)
Kenny Bednarek is laser focused in headed into Philadelphia after sweeping the first two Slams, but might face one of his first real challenges in the men’s short sprints group as Christian Coleman throws his hat into the ring. Coleman’s presence immediately ups the stakes, while Zharnel Hughes and Andre De Grasse know they have the speed to meet Bednarek step for step into the final few of moments of both races.
Where to watch
Grand Slam Track will be broadcast to 189 countries and territories.
Peacock will air the competition in the United States for both days and in Europe and Asia, Eurosport has broadcast rights while TNT Sports will show each Slam in the UK and Ireland.
