Olympic 5,000m silver medallist Ronald Kwemoi hopes next year’s inaugural Grand Slam Track will be an ideal stage to sharpen his skills ahead of a packed 2025 season.
The professional track and field league, announced in February by legendary sprinter Michael Johnson, aims to elevate the sport with its innovative format.
Set to run from April to September 2025, the league will feature four events spread across Los Angeles (date TBC), another U.S. city and two international destinations.
Each event will feature six categories for men and women, with athletes competing in two disciplines over a weekend.
A total of eight competitors per category will take part — four “Grand Slam Racers” who are top-ranked athletes, and four “Challengers” aiming to earn a spot among the elite for the following season.
The league will award points, just like the Wanda Diamond League, from first to eighth place (10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1).
For Kwemoi, competing in the inaugural season presents a vital opportunity to test his form against top-tier international talent.
“I want to continue testing myself against the best runners in the world. Grand Slam Track is the perfect stage for me to do that,” Kwemoi noted.
Kwemoi has already signed up for the competition, which has attracted some of the biggest names from the 2024 Paris Olympics including 200m silver medallist Kenny Bednarek, 100m bronze medallist Fred Kerley, 400m champion Quincy Hall and sprint stars Mathew Hudson-Smith of Britain and Zambia’s Muzala Samukonga.
Middle-distance events will see Olympic 1,500m medallists Cole Hocker, Yared Nuguse and Josh Kerr on the roster, while Olympic 5,000m bronze medallist Grant Fisher adds depth to the distance category.
The women’s lineup is headlined by 400m hurdles world record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and 100m hurdles champion Masai Russell.
Overall winners (men and women) will pocket Sh12.9m which will trickle to Sh6.5m and Sh3.8m down the podium.
“I am excited to be the first athlete
representing Kenya at the Grand Slam
track,” Kwemoi said.