❚ We may earn commission from links on this page. Our editorial is always independent (learn more).

What is Grand Slam Track? New athletics league explained

Your complete guide to Grand Slam Track.

PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 06: Gold medalist Gabrielle Thomas of Team United States (2nd L) celebrates after winning in the Women's 200m Final on day eleven of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on August 06, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

Getty Images

Published: Wednesday, 2 April 2025 at 1:31 pm

Subscribe to Radio Times – 5 weeks for £2

We could be about to witness the start of a new age in athletics as Grand Slam Track tries to change the game for both competitors and fans.

Ad

The inaugural season of the ambitious new professional track league pits some of the world's fastest stars against each other across four 'slams' – Kingston, Miami, Philadelphia and Los Angeles – and will be broadcast around the world in an attempt to attract audiences that are often out of reach for the sport between Olympics.

With a hefty $12.6 million prize fund on offer and some fantasy match-ups set to become reality, Grand Slam Track should certainly make for plenty of entertainment.

RadioTimes.com brings you all the details you need to know about Grand Slam Track.

What is Grand Slam Track?

The brainchild of four-time Olympic champion Michael Johnson, Grand Slam Track is a professional athletics league that is hoping to transform how the sport operates by putting athletes and rivalries at the front and centre.

Johnson believes it can be the "F1 of athlete racing" – providing a platform for competitors to race more regularly and reaching wider audiences than any track event outside the Olympics in an effort to boost the popularity of the sport.

There are six event categories, with athletes racing across the same two disciplines at every slam:

A total of 48 racers, four men and four women in each category, are committed to run in all four slams.

At each event, they'll be joined by 48 challengers, four men and four women in each category, who are emerging athletes trying to earn a place as a racer for the 2026 Grand Slam Track season.

The challengers will change at each event according to recent performances and potential match-ups.

Want to see this content?

This page contains content provided by Google reCAPTCHA. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as Google reCAPTCHA may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose 'Accept and continue' to allow Google reCAPTCHA and its required purposes.

Accept and continue

Competitors earn points based on where they finish in each event (12, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1) and the athlete in each category with the highest total across the two disciplines will be crowned 'Slam Champion' – with highest individual place and lowest combined time as the two tiebreakers.

At the end of the season, the two athletes – one from the men's race groups and one from the women's race groups – with the most cumulative points will be named the 'Racer of the Year'.

All the athletes are paid participation fees at each slam and will also earn a share of the prize fund based on their performances.

When is Grand Slam Track?

The 2025 Grand Slam Track season consists of four meets between April and June.

The opener at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica, starts on Friday 4th April and runs until Sunday 6th April.

Next up is the meet at the Ansin Sports Complex in Miami, US, which begins on Friday 2nd May and runs until Sunday 4th May.

Franklin Field in Philadelphia, US, plays host to the third slam from Friday 30th May to Sunday 1st June.

The season will conclude at Drake Stadium in Los Angeles, US, between Friday 27th June and Sunday 29th June.

Who is competing at Grand Slam Track?

The racers (confirmed for all four slams)

There are some big names missing – such as the likes of Sha'Carri Richardson, Noah Lyles, and Jakob Ingebrigtsen – but Johnson and co have compiled a hugely impressive roster that includes some of the fastest athletes on the planet, no shortage of Olympic champions, and a number of British stars.

Men's short sprints

Men's short hurdles

Men's long sprints

Men's long hurdles

Men's short distance

Men's long distance

Want to see this content?

This page contains content provided by YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as YouTube may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose 'Accept and continue' to allow YouTube and its required purposes.

Accept and continue

Women's short sprints

Women's short hurdles

Women's long sprints

Women's long hurdles

Women's short distance

Women's long distance

*Absent from Kingston Slam.

The challengers (confirmed for the Kingston Slam)

Men's short sprints

Men's short hurdles

Men's long sprints

Men's long hurdles

Men's short distance

Men's long distance

Women's short sprints

Women's short hurdles

Women's long sprints

Women's long hurdles

Women's short distance

Women's long distance

Ad

Check out more of our Sport coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.

Authors

Black and white cut-out portrait headshot of Ned Holmes, smiling against a lime green background.

Ned Holmes

Ned is a sports writer at RadioTimes.com. He has covered a host of sports from EFL football, international cricket and golf all the way through to bike polo and triathlon.

Ad

Ad

Get the Christmas double issue

Too much to watch at Christmas? Let Radio Times do the choosing to find something the whole family will enjoy.

Subscribe by 3 Dec

Loading...

Ad

Loading...