Eight athletes, including Jamaica’s Danielle Williams, ended the opening leg of the Grand Slam Track Series at the National Stadium in Kingston on Sunday US$100,000 richer, having emerged as the category winners after three days of high-octane competition.
Williams, the two-time World 100m hurdles champion, clinched victory in the 100m dash on Sunday in 11.54 seconds, edging compatriot Ackera Nugent (11.57) to secure 12 valuable points. Combined with her second-place finish in the 100m hurdles on Saturday (12.70), Williams ended with 20 points, enough to top the Short Hurdles category and become Jamaica’s only category winner at the first meet of the series.
In the Long Hurdles, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was in a class of her own, clocking a world-leading 52.76 in the 400m hurdles on Saturday and backing that up with a stunning 50.32 in the 400m flat on Sunday. The American superstar scored the maximum 24 points to top her category, finishing ahead of teammate Dalilah Muhammad (54.59 and 52.21) and Jamaica’s Andrenette Knight (55.06 and 52.09).
On the men’s side, Alison dos Santos of Brazil was equally dominant, claiming the 400m hurdles in 47.61 (WL) and the 400m in 45.52, also earning the maximum 24 points in the men’s Long Hurdles category. Jamaica’s Roshawn Clarke, who finished second in the hurdles (48.20) and fourth in the 400m (45.73), ended with 13 points, good for second place.
France’s Sasha Zhoya topped the men’s Short Hurdles with 12.96 in the 110m hurdles and a follow-up 100m dash time of 10.55, tallying 20 points to become one of the youngest male athletes to claim the top payout of the weekend.
In the middle-distance events, Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi claimed the Short Distance category with 24 points, after a second-place finish in the 800m (1:46.44) behind Canada’s Marco Arop, and a strong win in the 1500m in 3:35.18. The consistency across both races gave Wanyonyi the overall edge.
In the Long Distance category, Grant Fisher of the USA edged out Ethiopia’s Hagos Gebrhiwet by a single point. Fisher’s win in the 5000m (14:39.14) and third-place finish in the 3000m (8:03.85) earned him 18 points, just ahead of Gebrhiwet’s 7:51.55 in the 3000m and 14:40.20 in the 5000m, for 17 points.
On the women’s side, Ejgayehu Taye of Ethiopia was unbeatable. She clocked 8:28.42 to win the 3000m and returned on Sunday to take the 5000m in 14:54.88, tallying the maximum 24 points and stamping her authority on the women’s Long-Distance division.
In the Short Sprints, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden swept both the 100m and 200m, winning in 11.11 and 23.46, respectively, to claim the women’s sprint crown with a perfect 24-point total. Fellow American Jenna Prandini was second with 11.23 and 23.56, good for 16 points.
The eight category winners not only left Kingston US$100,000 richer but also took the early lead in the race for the season-ending Grand Slam bonus, an additional US$100,000 that will go to the top-scoring male and female athlete across all four meets.
Four winners were crowned on Saturday including Gabby Thomas (Long Sprints), Matthew Hudson-Smith (Long Sprints), Kenny Bednarek (Short Sprints) and Eribie Weltejdi (Short Distance).
The Grand Slam Track Series now shifts its focus to the next stop, where athletes will continue their quest for supremacy—and significant paydays—on the road to the Paris Olympics.
Marlon Reid photos