GRAND SLAM TRACK™ Announces Signings of Ackera Nugent and Roshawn Clarke

The duo from Jamaica will compete across all four Slams in the 2025 season

New York, NY (October 17th, 2024) - Grand Slam Track™, the new global home of professional track competition, launched earlier this year by four-time US Olympic Champion Michael Johnson, today officially announced the signings of Jamaican Olympians Ackera Nugent and Roshawn Clarke. Both athletes competed at the Paris Olympics this past summer, and they will now compete in all four Grand Slam Track™ Slams in 2025, giving fans the chance to see them race on the world stage.

“Ackera and Roshawn are incredible talents who have achieved major success at such a young age,” said Michael Johnson, the league’s founder and Commissioner. “Both of them have already made their mark on the global stage, and I’m excited to see how they continue to grow in Grand Slam Track™. They represent the next generation of world-class Jamaican competitors, and I know they’re going to bring something special to the league.”

Ackera Nugent specializes in the 100m hurdles and is one of Jamaica’s top emerging athletes. She holds the 2021 World U20 Championship title and set a national record of 12.28 seconds at the 2024 Jamaican Championships. A rising star, Nugent competed in the Paris 2024 Olympics and reached the final of the 100m hurdles. Nugent continued her international season after Paris and lowered her national record to 12.24 seconds at the Rome Golden Gala making her the 4th fastest women in the history of the event. Her progression from U20 champion to global contender has solidified her as one of the brightest young talents in the hurdles.

“For me, it’s all about growth,” said Nugent. “I’m constantly looking for ways to get better, and Grand Slam Track™ gives me the platform to do just that. Racing at this level, over and over, against the best in the world, is what I’ve always wanted, and I’m ready to see how much more I can achieve.”

Roshawn Clarke, at just 20 years old, has already made a significant mark in the 400m hurdles. After setting a world U20 record of 47.34 seconds at the 2023 World Championships, he went on to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics, reaching the final. His rapid rise has earned him recognition as one of Jamaica’s most promising young athletes.

“I like the idea of Grand Slam Track™ because it changes how things usually are in track,” said Clarke. “I’m ready to jump into this and compete against the best while testing myself. This league gives me that chance. Racing in all four Slams means I’ll have the opportunity to show what I can really do.”

Each year, 48 athletes will be named to the league as Grand Slam Track™ Racers. Nugent and Clarke join a stacked roster of talents announced so far in Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Melissa Jefferson, Masai Russell, Quincy Hall, Fred Kerley, Kenny Bednarek, Cole Hocker, Yared Nuguse, Grant Fisher, Josh Kerr, Matthew Hudson-Smith, Nikki Hiltz, Cyrena Samba-Mayela, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, Alison Dos Santos, Ronald Kwemoi, Muzala Samukonga, and Clement Ducos. The 48 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. Grand Slam Track™ 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 Grand Slam Track™ Racers will receive annual contracts, access to the Grand Slam Track™ 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. Grand Slam Track™ 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 Grand Slam Track™ Challengers and will be paid a set appearance fee to compete at individual Slams. Grand Slam Track™ 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