A number of Jamaican athletes have been added to the star-studded line-up for the inaugural Grand Slam Track™ event, set to take place at the National Stadium in Kingston from April 4–6. The additions come as several high-profile athletes were forced to withdraw due to injury or other circumstances.
Organisers confirmed the updated list of competitors on Monday, with Senior Director of Racing Kyle Merber explaining the decision to be transparent with changes.
“We knew when we announced the fields more than three weeks ahead of the first Slam that there would be some changes,” Merber said. “While injuries and unexpected circumstances are out of our control, we’ve chosen to be transparent with fans… we have been able to fill the open lanes with such high-quality competitors who will contend for wins.”
Among those scratched from the original fields are Olympic and World medallists Hansle Parchment, Quincy Hall, Shamier Little, Trevor Bassitt, Grace Stark, Alia Armstrong, Favour Ofili, Nelly Chepchirchir, Dominic Lobalu, and Cameron Murray.
Jamaicans Jodean Williams, Zandrion Barnes, Omar McLeod, and Assinie Wilson have now been contracted as Challengers, joining fellow Jamaicans Kemba Nelson, Ackeem Blake, Alana Reid, Orlando Bennett, Danielle Williams, Roshawn Clarke, Shiann Salmon, Andrenette Knight, Stacey-Ann Williams and Natoya Goule-Toppin in the three-day competition. Former world champion McLeod will contest the men's 110m hurdles, with World U20 champion Ackera Nugent lining up in the women’s 100m hurdles against Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn.
Assinie Wilson
Also added to the event are international stars Nia Ali, Amber Hughes, Eric Edwards Jr., Sage Hurta-Klecker, Charles Philibert-Thiboutot, and former world 400m hurdles bronze medallist Cassandra Tate.
The event, which is expected to revolutionise track and field presentation, will feature a no-frills, head-to-head format where each athlete competes twice over three days. Each winner earns US$100,000, with last place earning US$10,000. All races will follow World Athletics standards and be valid for global rankings and qualification.
Grand Slam Track™ Kingston Competition Schedule
All times are in Jamaican local time (EST).
Day 1 – Friday, April 4, 2025
Women’s 200m (Long Sprints) – 5:42 PM
Men’s 400m (Long Sprints) – 5:54 PM
Women’s 3000m (Long Distance) – 6:04 PM
Women’s 800m (Short Distance) – 6:21 PM
Men’s 400m Hurdles (Long Hurdles) – 6:34 PM
Women’s 400m Hurdles (Long Hurdles) – 6:46 PM
Men’s 5000m (Long Distance) – 6:56 PM
Men’s 100m (Short Sprints) – 7:21 PM
Day 2 – Saturday, April 5, 2025
Men’s 110m Hurdles (Short Hurdles) – 5:42 PM
Men’s 200m (Long Sprints) – 5:56 PM
Women’s 1500m (Short Distance) – 6:08 PM
Women’s 100m Hurdles (Short Hurdles) – 6:25 PM
Women’s 100m (Short Sprints) – 6:38 PM
Men’s 1500m (Short Distance) – 6:50 PM
Men’s 200m (Short Sprints) – 7:07 PM
Women’s 400m (Long Sprints) – 7:21 PM
Day 3 – Sunday, April 6, 2025
Women’s 100m (Short Hurdles) – 2:42 PM
Men’s 400m (Long Hurdles) – 2:54 PM
Women’s 5000m (Long Distance) – 3:04 PM
Men’s 100m (Short Hurdles) – 3:29 PM
Men’s 800m (Short Distance) – 3:39 PM
Men’s 3000m (Long Distance) – 3:49 PM
Women’s 200m (Short Sprints) – 4:08 PM
Women’s 400m (Long Hurdles) – 4:21 PM
The Grand Slam Track™ series will be broadcast in 189 countries and features over US$12.6 million in annual prize money across four events. Kingston is the first stop on a tour that will also visit Miami, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles.