Four-time Olympic champion Michael Johnson has announced the launch of Grand Slam Track (GST), a professional track league designed to bring together the world’s best sprinters and distance runners for four marquee meets in 2025, similar to tennis and golf. This innovative league aims to elevate the sport by providing a unique platform for the world’s best athletes to compete and shine.
“We are excited to launch this new platform for the planet’s greatest racers in this sport we all love,” Johnson said in a press release. “We’re revolutionizing the track landscape, allowing our sport to remain at the forefront of the sporting world year-round, and pushing our superstar racers to break new ground in their personal storytelling, competitive success, and marketability. Grand Slam Track is going to take our sport to new heights, and we want you to come along for the ride.”
The Grand Slam Track league also made a big splash by announcing their first athlete, 400m hurdles Olympic champion and world record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. In the press release, Mclaughlin-Levrone said she’s honoured to be the first athlete in Grand Slam Track. “Michael’s vision is clear, and he’s exactly the leader this sport needs to break new ground. I am thrilled to be a part of this league and look forward to everything we have coming in the future. I firmly believe that this is the step forward that track needs to take it to another level.”
What you need to know about Grand Slam Track
The league will begin next year, and will follow a similar structure to professional golf and tennis, featuring a series of four major events in its inaugural season. One event will be in Los Angeles (the home of the 2028 Olympics), another American city, and two more overseas (which have not yet been announced). The league will feature 96 of the world’s top track athletes, divided into two groups: 48 racers and 48 challengers. There are six event categories at each slam, with athletes having to do two races, ensuring a diverse range of competition. Another big change will be the racing format: this league aims to deliver a pure racing experience by eliminating rabbits (pace-setters) and pace lights. Athletes will compete without bibs, to enhance recognition and branding.
Each slam will offer a substantial prize of $100,000 to the winner, with cash awards extending down to eighth place. Over its first season, the league will distribute $12.6 million in prize money.
The vision
Johnson has long criticized the lack of marquee head-to-head matchups in track and field due to insufficient financial incentives. “It’s providing the fans and the athletes what they’ve been asking for,” Johnson said. “I think there’s a real opportunity here. They’re frustrated at an all-time level with the sport, at the elite level, the way it’s been over the last couple of years where they’re not compensated and recognized for their tremendous talent.”
The Grand Slam Track league plans to sign 48 athletes, known as “GST Racers,” to contracts, and use appearance fees to bring another 48 athletes, “GST Challengers,” to each meet. Athletes will compete in categories such as a short-sprint group running 100 and 200 metres over a weekend, for top prizes and increased visibility.
The league has secured more than $30 million in financial commitments and funding from Winners Alliance, the commercial arm of the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) co-founded by tennis legend Novak Djokovic. The league’s name, Grand Slam Track, aims to evoke the prestige of tennis and golf’s major tournaments, offering a standout series of events amid the yearly track and field schedule.
Though Johnson has long been critical of track’s global management, he sees his league as a disruptor and enhancer of the sport. Recent developments in track and field, such as World Athletics’ plan to award $50,000 to Olympic gold medalists and the launch of the Ultimate Championship in 2026, indicate a growing recognition of athletes’ value.
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Johnson, who remains deeply involved in the sport as a BBC analyst, believes now is the perfect time to launch GST. “I’m motivated by the fact that this is the opportune time to do it,” he said. “The world is looking for something like this so that we can step into that void.”
