Grand Slam Track Jamaica 2025: Event Review, Results, and Highlights

By Jayson Panganiban April 21, 2025 10:55

Track and field’s newest experiment, Grand Slam Track, made its much-anticipated debut in Kingston, Jamaica from April 4-6, 2025. With a star-studded cast, over $3 million in prize money, and a revolutionary format, the event promised to shake up the sport’s pro circuit. While the on-track action delivered drama and upsets, the inaugural meet also revealed challenges that GST must address to secure its place in the global athletics calendar.

Star Power and Standout Performances

The meet’s format grouped athletes into 12 event categories, with each competitor racing twice and accumulating points toward a Grand Slam title and a $100,000 prize. Olympic and World champions headlined nearly every event, and the competition level was fierce: 11 of the 12 eventual Slam champions were already global medalists.

Gabby Thomas, the Olympic 200m gold medalist, was among the weekend’s biggest winners. On Friday, Thomas claimed the 200m in 22.63 seconds, holding off reigning Olympic 400m champion Marileidy Paulino (22.93). The next day, Thomas delivered a personal best in the 400m, clocking 49.14 seconds for second place behind Bahrain’s Salwa Eid Naser, who blazed to a world-leading 48.67. “I’m not sure I’ve ever been more tired in my life,” Thomas admitted afterward. “Going into that race, I was aware it would be one of the toughest challenges due to the talent present”. Her efforts secured her the long sprints Grand Slam title and elevated her to seventh on the all-time U.S. 400m list.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the world record holder and two-time Olympic champion in the 400m hurdles, swept her events to claim the long hurdles title and $100,000 purse. “Just need to perform well, concentrate on your own race,” McLaughlin-Levrone said, hinting at ambitions to try other events in future meets.

The men’s 100m, run into a stiff 1.3 m/s headwind, saw American Kenny Bednarek edge Jamaica’s Oblique Seville by one hundredth of a second, 10.07 to 10.08—an outcome that electrified the local crowd despite the modest times. In the 400m, World Indoor champion Christopher Bailey ran a swift 44.34 to defeat Olympic silver medalist Matthew Hudson-Smith.

Distance events, often overshadowed in Caribbean meets, provided some of the weekend’s most memorable moments. Grant Fisher’s tactical mastery in the men’s 5000m saw him surge from seventh at the bell to first at the finish, closing in a remarkable 51.6 seconds for the final lap and leading a 1-2-3 American sweep. “Really happy with that,” Fisher reflected. “We were jogging for that entire race, so you were pretty fresh at the end. But 51? That’s pretty good for April, so I’ll take it”.

Format Innovation and Atmosphere

GST’s unrabbitted, points-based format encouraged tactical racing and unpredictability. “You’re not going to see the same people winning Grand Slam Track races over and over,” founder Michael Johnson promised. The result was a series of upsets and close finishes that would be rare in the Diamond League’s pacer-driven structure.

However, the event’s atmosphere did not match its ambition. Despite Jamaica’s legendary track culture, attendance was underwhelming—fewer than 4,000 fans were present at any time, and large sections of the National Stadium remained empty throughout the weekend. Even free tickets on the final days could not fill the stands, a stark contrast to the packed crowds for Jamaica’s high school championships the week before. Social media buzzed with images of empty seats, highlighting the challenge GST faces in building a following for a new professional circuit.

The Verdict: A Promising Start with Room to Grow

Grand Slam Track’s Kingston debut delivered on its promise of high-stakes, unpredictable racing and attracted the sport’s biggest names with lucrative prizes. The meet’s innovative format produced memorable moments and new champions, but the lack of local engagement was impossible to ignore. As GST looks ahead to its next stops, the challenge will be to translate elite performances into packed stadiums and lasting fan excitement.

If Michael Johnson’s vision is realized, this inaugural night in Kingston may one day be remembered as the bold first step in track and field’s next evolution. For now, Grand Slam Track is off and running—fast, but with hurdles still to clear.