Grand Slam Track

At 16, Sydney stood at Historic Hayward Field, an Olympic qualifier burdened by expectations. Olympic Champion, World Champion, the fastest ever. She delivered. In 50.68 seconds, she showed her gift. Now track fans eagerly await for more as Grand Slam Track’s first ambassador.

Josh Kerr is no one-trick pony. Fast or slow, leading or following, the world champion at 1500m and 3000m knows how to win. How to beat him? That’s the question. His moves are decisive, powerful, and graceful. Fearless, always ready, he clocks 3:45 for a mile and 8:00 for two, but being first is more important.

Cole Hocker is fast, but at this level everyone is fast. His X-factor is that he’s quick too! With an uncanny ability to fluidly shift through every one of his gears and then still being able to find one last push to the finish line, finding a way to beat him is a puzzle left unsolved. The epitome of a racer who says anything you can do, I can do better. And now it’s your move.

No clock is necessary to appreciate the many talents of Yared Nuguse – the eyeball test is more than enough. Every long and loping stride that the Kentucky-native takes is evidence that he was simply built differently. Legs aren’t supposed to be that long, but when running a 3:43 mile then it certainly helps. Off the track, Yared is calm, cool, and collected. He is soft spoken and excited to share pictures of his pet tortoise, talk video games, or solve a Rubik’s Cube. But on the track, Yared is also calm, cool, and collected – except he is going to drop everyone.

Kerley is a fan favorite for two reasons: he is fast and this is clearly fun for him. Following this year’s bronze in the Olympic 100m, the man from Texas has earned a medal at every major global championship since 2017. He makes it down from one side to the other in 9.76 seconds with a violently powerful stride. And now a star with GST, he’ll be buying more land.

The nickname “Kung Fu Kenny” originally stems from the signature ties he wears around his forehead, but Bednarek’s patience and meticulous work ethic encapsulates the title, as well. At his best, Bednarek is undoubtedly among the very best in the world, but to be a fan of his is to appreciate consistency. Rarely does he miss! And that predictable greatness is a byproduct of the professionalism that Kenny brings to the sport, and now to the league.

Big game Racers, make big game races. Throughout her career, Melissa Jefferson has surpassed expectations when it mattered most. The former Coastal Carolina graduate is easy to sleep on – though that could be the biggest mistake another Racer could ever make. The Olympic bronze medalist at 100m brings with her to Grand Slam Track the same thing she does out of the blocks… speed!

In her rookie season as a professional – when it mattered most – Masai Russell timed her lean perfectly to win the Olympic gold medal in the 100 meter hurdles. This made many people happy! Though as is the case in all sports, others were not. Heavy is the head that wears the crown. Except Masai Russell is never one to hide from a challenge.

Pressure makes diamonds and that’s what racing the best hurdlers in the world on the biggest stages brings out in Cyrèna Samba-Mayela. European Champion. World Indoor Champion. Olympic Medalist. The French superstar’s career is just getting started, though her resume is already long enough. With the force of a loaded pinball at the start, if another Racer gets caught sleeping in the blocks, then they’ll wake up to see it’s already over.

There is no room for error when Jasmine Camacho-Quinn is clearing ten hurdles while sprinting at full speed. She has been defined by her consistency and is the only athlete in the history of the event to win a medal in four straight global championships. But the secret power behind Jasmine’s success has always been one thing: POWER!

If you had to build the ideal athlete to clear a hurdle, they may just be an extraordinary 6’7 powerhouse talent from Brazil - enter Alison dos Santos! Twice the Olympic bronze medalist and 2022 World Champion in the 400 meter hurdles, dos Santos exhibits all of the the traits of a true Racer.

It’s not about how you start – it’s how you finish. And few athletes in the world close as well as Muzala Samukonga does. The first Grand Slam Track Racer from Africa to sign with the league is the pride of Zambia. After winning a bronze medal in the 400m at the Paris Olympics, the 21 year old has proven his ability as the bright young star in the event.

If you have not yet invested in Clément Ducos, then you should do it now before it’s too late. The French phenom burst onto the scene late during the 2024 season, dropping his personal best four times and improving his time by over two seconds. Go back in time a year ago and there would have been few fans to predict this sort of rapid ascension to the top levels of the sport, but for Ducos finishing fourth in the 400 meter hurdles was no surprise. The potential was always there and now it’s being actualized!

Every time Matthew Hudson-Smith raises his ceiling, he finds a new way to burst through it. It is fair to call the Olympic silver medalist at 400 meters a veteran, and he has earned enough hardware to prove it. He runs with a freedom of only seeing his own steps in front of him, and an attitude that dares others to try and keep pace. They rarely do.

Quincy Hall has that dog in him – he decided to let ‘em out with 100m to go in the Olympic 400m final as he passed three runners in a blazing home stretch run. The Kansas City native keeps it simple: it’s just racing. And he’s damn good at it!Watch out MJ! If you can’t see Quincy Hall then it means he’s coming.

The six-time USATF National Champion knows if you’ve got the best last 100m in the field then it’s best to use it. Nikki’s ability to run either quick 1500s or tactical ones make them deadly in championship races. Now the thing other Racers may not be ready for… that skill translates to the 800 too!

When the time is right, Grant Fisher will take the lead and wind things up. The Michigan-born Fisher took home two bronze medals in the 5000m and 10000m, which is the sort of achievement one would expect from a man with personal bests of 12:46 and 26:33. No pacers, no problem – Fisher prefers a championship to a time trial.

When the bell rings with a lap to go in a 5000m then it’s a good bet to say the 3:28 guy is going to be moving around the field. Don’t be fooled by Ronald Kwemoi’s modest 5000m best – he is a racer! 10 years ago the Kenyan was setting the World U20 1500m record, and now he’s an Olympic silver medalist. The other athletes are going to want to keep that pace honest!

What do you get when you combine elite speed and 10 hurdles? The 2024 world leader in the 100m hurdles, Ackera Nugent. The Jamaican national champion and record holder ran a best of 12.24. Now we know she can hurdle, but if there’s one thing Nugent wants is to face off against her rivals in that flat 100m. If you know, you know…

Jamaican fans already know how good Roshawn Clarke is - now the rest of the world is finding out! Well, they may have found out when he ran 47.34 to set the U20 world record Jamaican… but now at Grand Slam Track, they’ll see how quick he is without hurdles.

Shamier Little must wish for a format like Grand Slam Track whenever she blows out the candles on her birthday cake – this was made for her! Little has two World Championship silver medals in the hurdles, and two Olympic medals (including gold) from the relays in Paris. She is what we like to call dynamic!

If an athlete just keeps improving, then eventually the field will narrow. This is the story of Jess Hull — she keeps progressing and the list of her competitors keeps shrinking. The Australian middle distance star was a breakout athlete of the year as she dropped her 1500m personal best by X, set the world record over 2000m, and took home the Olympic silver medal in Paris.

There are athletes who want to be in the fastest paced races and there are athletes who want to race the fastest people. Guatemala’s Luis Grijalva is the latter. He CAN run fast — we know that! Luis’ 5000m personal best of 12:50 proves that. But the opportunity to get rid of rabbits and run in eight championship races… now THAT is where he thrives.

What’s there to fear when you never lose? Marileidy Paulino’s season is one for the record books… literally. The Olympic 400m record holder ran a blistering 48.17 in Paris continuing her ongoing trend of dominance. But how could she follow up winning the World Championships in 2023? Going undefeated in 2024.

No one man should have all that power! Well, don’t tell Marco Arop that… watching the defending 800m World Champion from Canada run two laps around the track is a religious experience. Now the question mark may be what can he do in the longer of the two events? All signs say, “better than you think!” It may not be a good idea to let that 1500 come down to a kick…

Most college athletes go pro in something other than sports, but Devon Allen went pro in two. That’s the sort of athleticism needed to become a 3x US Champion in the 110 hurdles! The former University of Oregon dual-sport athlete is not done yet — he’s back for Grand Slam Track!

You know those athletes that just seem to ALWAYS be there? That guy’s name is Jereem Richards. The World Indoor Champion over 400 meters is known for his scrap and grit, which is what is needed to have a career that has spanned several Olympic cycles – and he’s not done yet!

If there is a professional track league, then there are going to be Jamaicans! Welcome Rushell Clayton, the two-time national champion at 400m hurdles and twice a World Championship medalist to Grand Slam Track. Never afraid to go out hard or close even harder.

Put something in front of Jasmine Jones and she is clearing it. An NCAA Champion in the 60m hurdles and 400m hurdles while at USC, she narrowly missed the NCAA-career triple crown with a fourth-place finish in the 100m hurdles. Now turned professional, Jones has immediately stepped up her game to the next level finishing fourth in the Olympic 400m hurdles at just 22 years old

How badly are you willing to fight for every place? For Daniel Roberts, he’s willing to put his body on the line if that will help him make the pass. Diving across the Olympic finish line to win the silver medal in the 110m hurdles, it wasn’t an accident. If there is one thing the former Kentucky Wildcat will always do, it’s prepare for the unexpected.