Ex-Olympic champ Michael Johnson hopes to bring ‘F1 of athletics’ with Grand Slam Track

KINGSTON – Four-time Olympic gold medallist Michael Johnson believes his Grand Slam Track can be the “Formula One of athlete racing”, as the novel circuit that puts rivalries at the forefront kicks off in Kingston, Jamaica, from April 4.

The four-event start-up comes amid longstanding concern over athletics’ popularity outside of the Olympics.

Track and field is a regular attraction in Europe but struggles to compete against the “Big Four” of North American professional sport – the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League.

Johnson, a larger-than-life figure who also won eight World Championship gold medals during his career, told Reuters that it was time to take the burden off the athletes to bring track into the limelight.

“The athletes themselves have been criticised a lot over the years for the sport not being more popular. And my position has always been: the athletes are doing their job,” said the American, who will also host meets in Miami, Philadelphia and Los Angeles.

“It’s up to someone else to go and create a structure that presents that to the world and commercialises that and markets it.”

Grand Slam Track features head-to-head competitions with a roster of decorated stars, including women’s 400m hurdles world record-holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone of the United States and British men’s 1,500m world champion Josh Kerr.

But the circuit, which does not include any field events, is missing a handful of notable names including Olympic 100m gold medallist Noah Lyles and double Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen.

Johnson, who won 200m and 400m gold at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 and held world records in both events, says taking Grand Slam Track to Europe and Asia is on the agenda should 2025’s competitions prove a success.

Grand Slam Track inked a broadcast deal in the US two months before its launch, with the CW Network and streaming service Peacock to air the competitions. On March 28, the circuit announced additional broadcast partners to give fans in 189 countries access.

“I’m going to try to bridge this gap between the sport and its current position and what its potential is, which I think is immense,” Johnson said. “I think this could be the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) and Formula One of athlete racing.”

The circuit is a direct challenge to the Diamond League, long the standard-bearer for professional track worldwide, which hosts 15 meetings each year in cities from Xiamen to Zurich.

The league upped its total prize money in 2025 to more than US$9 million (S$12 million), seemingly in response to the super-sized purse offered at Grand Slam Track, where US$12.6 million will be on the table.

Diamond League chief executive officer Petr Stastny said last week that he welcomed the competition but was worried that looming calendar clashes could hurt competitors and organisers.

“Fans want to be entertained. They want to get to know the athletes. They want to see head-to-head competition,” added Johnson.

“They want to see the best against the best more often.”

In other news, Norwegian athletics coach Gjert Ingebrigtsen on March 31 denied physically abusing his track star son and daughter, telling a court he had been an overly protective father who had tried to help his ambitious children.

He has pleaded not guilty to charges of physically abusing Jakob and Ingrid Ingebrigtsen, a promising athlete who gave up competitive running at the age of 15 in 2021.

The 59-year-old faces up to six years in prison if he is convicted, with the trial due to run until May in Sandnes, Norway.

Jakob – who won the 5,000m at the Paris Games and the 1,500m in Tokyo – last week described a childhood marked by fear and manipulation when he took the witness stand. REUTERS