Johnson hopes to bring Formula 1 of racing 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