American standouts Gabby Thomas, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, and Kenny Bednarek surged to the top of the leaderboard on Friday night as the inaugural Grand Slam Track Series (GST) kicked off in style at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica.
The new series, designed to reward consistency and excellence over four high-profile meets, opened with fireworks as world-class athletes battled not only for early bragging rights but also for massive financial incentives. At each meet, the top points scorer among male and female athletes - Racers or Challengers - earns USD$100,000, while all other competitors are guaranteed a share of a descending scale down to $10,000.
However, at the end of the four-leg series, the male and female Racers with the most cumulative points each walk away with a bonus of USD$100,000.
Kenny Bednarek, known for his strength in the 200m, made an explosive statement by taking top honours in the men’s 100m. The win earned him 12 points and a big step towards earning USD$100,000 prize awarded to the highest male points scorer of the Kingston leg.
He led a deep field that included Oblique Seville (eight points), Zharnel Hughes (six), and Ackeem Blake (five). Seville and Bednarek, both designated Racers, remain in the hunt for the overall Slam Champion title and the season bonus.
Olympic and World medallist Gabby Thomas was in imperious form in the women’s 200m, powering to a first-place finish ahead of Dominican Republic’s Marileidy Paulino and Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith. Her 12-point haul not only gave her an early edge in the overall race but also put her closer to the USD$100,000 top prize among the women’s Racers for Kingston.
Jamaica’s Nickisha Pryce and Stacey-Ann Williams placed sixth and seventh, respectively, earning three and two points.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opened her campaign with a confident win in the women’s 400m hurdles. Her 12-point performance saw her outclass fellow American Dalilah Muhammad (eight points) and Jamaican Rushell Clayton (six points), ensuring that she is in pole position to walk away from the meet with USD$100,000s.
The GST format gives Racers two opportunities to earn points at each meet, and the total across both events determines the Slam Champion of that leg. Bednarek, Thomas, and McLaughlin-Levrone—each of whom are contracted Racers—now sit in prime position heading into the second meet in Nairobi, Kenya.
Men’s 400m: Christopher Bailey won in style to earn 12 points.
Men’s 400m Hurdles: Brazil’s Alison dos Santos looked like his old self, winning and earning max points. Jamaica’s Roshawn Clarke claimed eight points for second.
Women’s 800m: American Nikki Hiltz edged out Diribe Welteji and Jess Hull for the victory and 12 points.
Men’s 5000m: Grant Fisher ran with authority to capture the win.
Women’s 3000m: Ethiopia’s Ejgayehu Taye was untouchable, claiming 12 points and setting the early long-distance standard.
Marlon Reid photos