Major showdown as new Grand Slam Track league kicks off
Sports
By
Stephen Rutto
| Mar 19, 2025
The athletics track and field season is about to get more intriguing, with a new league on the cards.
As history-makers on the track tune their sights on the rich Diamond League, another mouthwatering series, is debuting from early April.
Ladies and gentlemen, buckle up and get ready for the Grand Slam Track (GST) league, an inaugural series set to kick off in Kingston, Jamaica from April 4 -6.
A stellar cast has been assembled for the newest league which has been scheduled to run from April to June, mostly in the USA.
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And Kenyan track stars will be taking on their global counterparts in middle and long distance showdowns.
Olympic 800m champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi and bronze medallist Mary Moraa are in the super-fast fields eying glory in the new track series. Nelly Chepchirchir is also in the mix.
The trio will be featuring in the 800m and 1500m while 10km world record holder Agnes Ngetich, Olympic 5000m silver medallist Ronald Kwemoi and Hellen Ekalale will be racing in the long distances (3000m and 5000m).
Wanyonyi is already gearing up for the 1500m distance, winning the event in the last track and field contest in Kapsabet.
“I ran 1500m (in Kapsabet) because I need endurance for 800m and the body responded well. For now, I am preparing for the Grand Slam in Jamaica where I will run 800m and 1500m and then I will see how it turns out,” the world silver medallist said after his victory in Kapsabet on March 15.
He continued: “Grand Slam will likely be more competitive than the World Championships because I will be doubling 800m and 1500m.”
Wanyonyi will be facing his archrival, Marco Arop of Canada once again in the league.
Organisers have lined up contests in short sprints (100m/200m), short hurdles (100m hurdles for women and 110m hurdles for men/100m), long sprints (200m/400m), long hurdles (400m hurdles/400m), short distance (800m/1500m) and long distance (3000m/5000m) as well handsome prize monies, making it one of the most prestigious events this season.
Oraganisers of the Grand Slam Track, launched earlier in 2024 by four-time US Olympic Champion Michael Johnson say athletes will receive points based on their place in each event.
An athlete’s overall score, after the two races, will determine their standing and in the case of a tie, organisers.