Related items

• Michael Johnson optimistic about bright future for field events amid rise of track-centric meets

  Legendary sprinter Michael Johnson, the founder of the upcoming Grand Slam Track (GST) series, is confident that field events will not be sidelined despite the emergence of track-only competitions like GST and September's all-woman Athlos NY meet. Instead, Johnson envisions a future where field events flourish in their own right, buoyed by specialized leagues and platforms.

  Grand Slam Track recently announced its inaugural season for 2025, with meets scheduled in Kingston, Miami, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles. As excitement builds for the all-track format, concerns have surfaced about the potential marginalization of field events like the shot put, discus, javelin, and triple jump. However, responding to a query from Sportsmax.TV, Johnson dismissed these fears, offering a compelling case for optimism.

  “I think you will see quite the opposite,” Johnson said. “Ryan Crouser, the Olympic champion and world record holder in the shot put, is going to start his vision for a throws league that is specifically for the throws where the fans who actually appreciate those events and understand the great athleticism that is required for those events can actually be closer to the action. And so those events don’t fall secondary to what’s happening on the track, and I have offered my support to Ryan for that.”

  

  Johnson, a four-time Olympic gold medalist and former 200m and 400m world record holder, pointed to Crouser’s initiative as an example of how specialized leagues can elevate field events.

  “So I don’t think you will see those events continue to go away. I think it’s the exact opposite,” Johnson continued. “I think that there has been inspiration around how you now create leagues for those events as well, where you can make those events more prominent.”

  Field events have experienced a resurgence in recent years, with Caribbean athletes making significant strides on the global stage. Trinidad and Tobago’s Keshorn Walcott and Grenada’s Anderson Peters have won Olympic and World Championship medals in the javelin. Jamaica's Roje Stona set an Olympic record to win gold in the discus, with compatriot Rajindra Campbell claiming shot put bronze. Dominica’s Thea LaFond made history by winning her country’s first Olympic medal, a gold in the triple jump, ahead of Jamaica’s Shanieka Ricketts, a two-time World Championship silver medalist.

  Johnson believes specialized leagues and tailored events are key to ensuring that these athletes and their disciplines receive the recognition they deserve.

  “Right now, they’re getting lost in a huge stadium where fans far away can’t actually see and appreciate the athleticism,” Johnson explained. “So I think that this [Grand Slam Track] paves the way for a brighter future for the field events.”

  Grand Slam Track’s inaugural season promises to bring a fresh, dynamic format to track events, while Johnson’s endorsement of field-event-specific leagues highlights his broader vision for athletics as a sport. With initiatives like Crouser’s throws league on the horizon, Johnson’s optimism reflects a shift toward creating dedicated platforms for all disciplines to shine.

   The 2025 GST series, set to kick off with a meet in Kingston from April 4-, marks an exciting evolution for the sport. As Johnson’s vision takes shape, the future appears brighter not just for track athletes but for the field-event stars whose talents deserve a stage of their own.

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

• Italy 'on the right track' despite France defeat – Spalletti

  Luciano Spalletti believes Italy are "on the right track" despite the Azzurri ending their Nations League campaign with a 3-1 defeat to France on Sunday.

  Adrien Rabiot scored twice and Guglielmo Vicario put through his own net as Les Bleus triumphed at San Siro, with all three goals coming from Lucas Digne set-pieces.

  Italy had already confirmed a top-two finish by beating Belgium 1-0 three days earlier, however, so they will join France in the quarter-finals next March.

  Despite the result, there were plenty of positives for Spalletti to take from Italy's performance, as his team enjoyed more possession (53.8%), shots (10 to six), expected goals (0.59 xG to 0.39) and touches in the opposition box (20 to eight) than their opponents.

  "I believe that we are on the right track, I saw many things we sought in the correct way, but we were influenced by the emotion of the match, we forced the match," he said.

  "In the second half the game was managed well, we often had the ball but we have to be cleaner with our ball management.

  "The analysis is certainly positive, it is clear that there is something to review. When we return, the group will do this."

   

  Italy were undone by some excellent dead-ball taking from Aston Villa full-back Digne, though, and Spalletti knows they must be more competitive on a physical level in the future.

  "The boys wanted to go and challenge the opponent, there you spend energy. The third set-piece created problems for us, then we tried to react to score again, but they are physical," he said. 

  "Now we will review the situations well, they are one of the strongest teams there is from a physical point of view."

• Italy win shows 'true face of the France team', says Rabiot

  Adrien Rabiot believes Sunday's win over Italy showed "the true face of the France team" as they secured top spot in Nations League Group A2.

  The midfielder headed home twice in their 3-1 victory, meeting excellent deliveries from Lucas Digne on both, with his second goal restoring the all-important two-goal cushion that ensured they finished above the Azzurri in the group.

  This comes after France had failed to find a way past Israel in a frustrating 0-0 draw last time out.

  However, Sunday's victory ensured France will be seeded in the quarter-finals draw as they seem to have put their disappointing Euro 2024 campaign, in which they won just twice as they struggled in front of goal, behind them.

  Les Bleus also avenged the 3-1 defeat to Italy on home soil in the reverse fixture, something Rabiot said was playing on their minds while they prepared for their trip to San Siro.

  "It's been a long time since we've played a match like this, that we haven't fought in this way all together, until the end," he told TF1.

  "We also had the objective of winning with a two-goal difference, we did it. But frankly, the mutual aid that there was in this match, the combativeness, the team spirit, it's to be highlighted. Frankly, we enjoyed playing this match.

  "It was a different context [Thursday]. Above all, there was a revenge to be taken compared to the previous match against Italy, who had come to win at home. It's a great evening. I hope we will continue to show this face. It's the true face of the France team."

  Digne officially got two assists in the victory, but he also played a big role in France's other goal – his free-kick rattled the crossbar before bouncing in off the unfortunate Guglielmo Vicario.

  In fact, France scored three goals from set-pieces in a match for the first time since 1991, when they netted three times from dead-ball situations against Albania.

  "[The free-kick is] a technical gesture that is worked on in training. The more you do, the more automatic it becomes, and it pays off," Digne said.

  "Offensively, it's not bad at all. As a defender, I would have preferred to finish with a clean sheet, but we can't have everything. We finished first, it's great.

  "We had a revenge to take from the first leg, we wanted to show a completely different face. And in addition to our slightly worse match against Israel... We really wanted to show that this jersey is close to our hearts. The whole group was present. It was really a complete match."

  France's Nations League quarter-finals will be played in March.