GRAND SLAM TRACK™ Announces Signings of US Olympians Cole Hocker and Yared Nuguse

Hocker & Nuguse join Josh Kerr - Olympic Silver medalist - to give GST the entire podium of Olympic 1500m medal winners signed to compete in 2025 season.

Los Angeles, CA (September 4, 2024) - Grand Slam Track™, the new global home of professional track competition, launched earlier this summer by four-time US Olympic Champion Michael Johnson, today officially announced the signings of US Olympic Gold and Bronze Medallists Cole Hocker and Yared Nuguse. Hocker and Nuguse were two of the stars of the US Track squad that helped the nation top the Olympics medal table, with their shining moment coming in the epic 1500m Final which saw them take 1st and 3rd place respectively. These two latest additions to the GST roster of signed Racers ensure that fans will be able to see the entire podium from that 1500m Final compete against each other four times in 2025, with Hocker and Nuguse joining the already signed Silver medallist, Josh Kerr of Great Britain. 

“As we all saw this summer, the metric mile is back,” said Michael Johnson, the league’s founder and Commissioner. “Everyone watching the 1500m final in Paris was blown away by the drama of that race, with Cole and Yared ultimately taking home Gold and Bronze. Adding both of them to our stable of Racers, including Silver-medalist Josh Kerr, gives us the incredibly exciting confirmation of seeing that Olympic final again four times in 2025. Grand Slam Track™ is committed to bringing fans around the world the most exciting roster of Racers possible, and finding out who truly is this fastest. With Yared and Cole joining Josh, we’re delivering on that promise, and these three will form the foundations of an incredibly competitive rivalry for dominance across our four Slams.”

Hocker, born in Indianapolis, Indiana, stunned the world with his finishing kick to claim Gold in the 1500m Final in Paris this summer, ahead of Kerr, Nuguse, and Jakob Ingebritsen. He attended the University of Oregon, and is an NCAA Division I Champion Indoor at both the Mile and the 3000m, plus Outdoor at 1500m. 

“It’s truly an honor for me to sign with Grand Slam Track™, and I’m unbelievably excited for the future of this league,” said Hocker. “To have someone like Michael Johnson leading the way for our sport is amazing, and it’s clear the sky's the limit for GST. The opportunity to race against the fastest men in the world, like Yared and Josh, four times a year at our Slams, gives us as racers the chance to continue to challenge ourselves, and entertain fans across the globe. I’m ecstatic to be a part of this league and can’t wait to race at the Slams.”

Nuguse competed against Hocker throughout their collegiate careers, and their rivalry has continued at the professional level. The Louisville, Kentucky, native competed collegiately for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and has NCAA Division I Championship victories in the 1500m & Distance Medley Relay on his resume. He claimed the Bronze medal in the 1500m Final in Paris, which was described by Sebastian Coe as a “race for the ages.” 

“Joining Grand Slam Track™ was an easy decision for me because it does so much for our sport and the athletes,” said Nuguse. “This represents a huge investment in taking our sport to the next level, and allowing millions of track fans to see us race on a far more regular basis. Additionally, it’s much more fun for the athletes to be racing more often against consistently good competition. Coming off the back of Paris, I can’t wait to continue to push myself and clash with Cole, Josh, and the other Racers who will join the league.”

Each year, 48 athletes will be named to the league as GST Racers. Hocker and Nuguse join Josh Kerr and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone as the first four of these 48 to be announced. These racers are selected by the Grand Slam Track Racing Committee based on a combination of factors to include the fastest and best racers in each race group, with a focus on fierce rivalries and thrilling competitive racing. GST Racers commit to racing in all four Slams per year. They will receive an annual base compensation for racing in each Slam and are eligible for full prize money. These GST Racers will receive annual contracts, access to the GST content and data services team, inclusion in the league collective, group licensing and new revenue opportunities, plus access to world class athlete support services throughout the season. GST racers are compensated under contract to race and promote the league and receive additional marketing and branding support.

The remaining 48 racers will be known as GST Challengers and will be paid a set appearance fee to compete at individual Slams. GST Challengers are chosen by the Grand Slam Track Racing Committee based on a combination of factors including recent performances, and the most intriguing athletes and matchups. 

Racers and Challengers will be assigned to compete in one of the following categories, and will all race in two events during each Slam: short sprints (100m/200m), short hurdles (100H or 110H/100m), long sprints (200m/400m), long hurdles (400H/400m), short distance (800m/1500m), or long distance (3000m/5000m). All competitors’ final placement score will be determined by their combined finishing order between the two races. In the event of a tie across the two events, it will be the athlete who had the quickest combined time across the two races who will be deemed the winner. The winner of each Slam group will take home $100,000 in prize money, and the 8th place competitor will earn $10,000. Grand Slam Track will have a total of $12.6m of prize money that will be awarded across the slams each year in addition to the base compensation and appearance fees paid to racers. 

The focus of Grand Slam Track is on head to head competition, not winning times. There will be no rabbits or pacing lights. Each Slam is equally as important as any other, will have its own prize purse, and will be independently scored, with points and previous finishes not carrying over to the following Slams. All racers will compete twice over the three-day event, and all Slam events will meet World Athletics regulations, with achieved marks being eligible for rankings and standards.

Racers will compete in their own sponsored kits, without traditional hip numbers or bibs. Racers and Challengers are encouraged to work with their sponsors to create customized kits, in their own desired style. Grand Slam Track has no affiliation or sponsorship agreement with any shoe company; all shoe companies are considered to be important stakeholders and partners in the promotion of our racers.

Grand Slam Track has secured more than $30 million in financial commitments from investors and strategic partners for the launch of the league. Winners Alliance, a global, athlete-centric

commercial solution and Johnson’s operating partner, was the lead investor in the first fundraising close for the new venture. The investment in the league will aid in Johnson’s ultimate goal: to develop better engagement with fans by promoting track and field’s biggest stars and reaching new audiences with unique, innovative storytelling.

Ticket sales information will be released in due course. For further information, please follow @GrandSlamTrack on all social media platforms, and visit grandslamtrack.com.

About Michael Johnson

Born in Dallas, Texas, Michael Johnson is a Hall of Fame track and field star, universally recognized as one of the greatest sprinters of all time. He won four Olympic gold medals and eight World Championships across his career, and held world and Olympic records in both the 200m and 400m races. At the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Johnson became the first and only male athlete to win the Gold medal in both the 200m and 400m at the same Olympics. Since retiring from active competition, Johnson has become a serial entrepreneur and investor, as well as highly sought after performance mindset speaker and an award winning television commentator. Johnson has been a pundit for the BBC’s coverage of every Olympics Games since Athens 2004, and remains a key voice on, and advocate for the sport. Johnson was inducted into the United States Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2004.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Ben Sosenko [email protected]

Callum Squires [email protected] On behalf of Grand Slam Track