Michael Johnson’s new track league announced on Thursday that it has signed Olympic medallists Fred Kerley and Kenny Bednarek. Kerley, a two-time Olympic medallist, most recently won a bronze medal in the men’s 100 meters at the Paris Olympics and earned a world title in the 100 in 2022. Bednarek is a two-time Olympic silver medallist in the men’s 200 meters.
“This is a great day for Grand Slam Track,” Johnson, the league’s founder and commissioner, said in a statement. “We’ve been saying GST is for ‘only the fastest,’ and bringing Fred and Kenny into the fold exemplifies that fact. These two electrify every time they step onto the track, and I can’t wait to see them entertain thousands of fans at each of our Slams and millions more watching around the world. I’m delighted to add two more excellent sprinters to our roster of Racers, and I am already anticipating their first appearances in Grand Slam Track next year.
Both men have joined fellow American Olympic medallists Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Cole Hocker and Yared Nuguse, and Great Britain’s Josh Kerr as the first six athletes of the 48 Grand Slam Track racers. Every year, 48 athletes will be named to the league as Grand Slam Track competitors. The Grand Slam Track racers will compete in four slams a year. Grand Slam Track will also add 48 Grand Slam challengers who will compete at individual slams.
Racers and challengers will compete in one of the following categories and will race in two events during each slam: short sprints (100/200), short hurdles (100 hurdles or 110 hurdles/100), long sprints (200/400), long hurdles (400 hurdles/400), short distance (800/1,500), or long distance (3,000/5,000).
Big money payout
Their combined finishing order between the two races will determine final placement scores. The quickest combined time across the two races will be the tiebreaker. The winner of each slam group will take home $100,000 in prize money, and the top eight finishers in each slam group will also earn prize money.
Kerley is excited to compete in the League.
“When I first heard about Grand Slam Track, I knew it was something I wanted to be part of,” Kerley said. “I love competing and think the fans will really enjoy this new Track format. The fans will get to see the best of the best race against each other regularly, and we have a platform to showcase our talents and continue building our fanbase all around the world. I’m excited to be part of Grand Slam Track.”