McLaughlin Levrone wins hurdles group as Grand Slam Track wraps first meet

KINGSTON - World record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone took the long hurdles slam on the final day of Grand Slam Tracks Kingston event on Sunday, as the novel athletics circuit wrapped up its inaugural meet after struggling with low attendance.

The two-time 400m hurdles Olympic champion left the Jamaican capital $100,000 richer after winning her signature event on Friday and taking the 400m flat in a casual 50.32 seconds for the overall long hurdles title.

Just got to execute, focus on yourself, said McLaughlin-Levrone, who said she was tempted to attempt some of the circuits other groups, including the short hurdles and long sprints.

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Athletes in 12 groups - mens and womens short sprints, long sprints, short hurdles, long hurdles, short distance and long distance - compete over two races per meet with the point totals from those runs determining the champion of each group.

The opening meet had a commendable lineup, with Kenyan 800m Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi clinching the mens short-distance group and two-time Jamaican 100m hurdles world champion Danielle Williams winning the short hurdles on Sunday.

Filling the stands proved a trickier endeavour, even as the meet boasted the likes of Olympic champion Gabby Thomas, who won the long sprints group on Saturday, and local outlets reported that free tickets were on the offer for the final two days.

Few places in the world can rival Jamaica in its love for track, but for a third day in a row large swathes of the bleachers sat empty, drawing critics online as images of empty seats circulated on social media.

The athletes still put on a show as Paris bronze medallist Melissa Jefferson