Running

Grand Slam Observe: Michael Johnson’s new observe league

August 7, 2024
Ibrahim

Everyone knows Michael Johnson, one of many best athletes within the historical past of observe and subject and sports activities usually.

Simply as a reminder, he received 4 Olympic gold medals (within the 200m, 400m and 4x400m) and eight World Championships gold medals (in the identical disciplines).
He set a 200m World Document in 1996 that may take Usain Bolt 14 years to interrupt. Wayde van Niekerk took virtually 17 years to interrupt Johnson’s 200m report.

Michael has been concerned with observe and subject a very long time since he stopped being a aggressive athlete. Since 2001 he’s a pundit for the BBC, the place he covers quite a lot of observe and subject occasions, together with the Olympics.

Pre-announcing a brand new observe league

Again in February, Michael Johnson introduced this on his social media:

“Simply wished to let you already know about mynew observe enterprise. I teamed up with some nice companions and collectively we’re making the largest funding ever into skilled observe and subject, to construct knowledgeable, really fans-focused league that may unlock probably the most worth for one of the best observe and subject athletes on the earth.”

He then linked to an article on Sportico with extra particulars.

The promise

This February announcement got here with some details about the brand new league, however not the whole lot. These had been the details:

  • Observe and Area has a really giant following, however solely throughout occasions such because the Olympics and the World Championships;
  • Followers battle to observe their favourite athletes due to irregular TV protection;
  • Athletes face monetary difficulties to maintain their careers;
  • Winners Alliance is the companion on this enterprise, already making the biggest funding in observe and subject historical past (in April we realized this determine to be $30M);
  • They’ll create a brand new league in 2025;
  • The league can have a format that’s TV and fan pleasant;
  • It can give attention to the athletes, making an attempt to raise their standing globally;
  • It can have good prizes for the winners.

Within the meantime

Within the meantime, Johnson has used his social media to highlights a number of the points the athletes (and observe and subject as a sport) are going through within the present state of affairs.

He’s additionally been sharing messages from different protagonists of the sports activities who are also fearful for the state of observe and subject.

There’s this interview with Usain Bolt, the place he says “observe and subject wants the eye as a result of I feel our sport goes beneath the radar.”

Or when he retweeted Noah Lyles, asking “I haven’t seen one industrial for the Observe & Area Olympic trials. Is it simply me?”.

One other factor that occurred on this time, is World Athletics declaring, in April, that they may provide $50k per gold medal received in Paris, and it’s planning to increase prize cash to silver and bronze beginning on the LA 2028 sport.

Lastly, enter the Grand Slam Observe

Michael Johnson has lastly revealed the main points of the brand new league – known as Grand Slam Observe – this week.

That is the way it will work.

  • The league can have 4 meets, known as “Slams”.
  • 2 Slams might be within the US, 2 elsewhere.

  • There might be 96 athletes concerned in every Slam.
  • Grand Slam Observe (GST) will contract 48 athletes as “core racers”.
  • The Core Racers will obtain an annual base compensation from the League and clearly might be competing for prize cash.
  • The opposite 48 athletes might be chosen occasion by occasion based mostly on latest efficiency and fascinating matchups. They’re known as “Challengers”.
  • Challengers will obtain an look price for every Slam they take part in, plus are eligible to win the total prize cash.

What occasions might be within the Grand Slam Observe?

Let’s now have a look at the occasion classes:

  • Quick sprints – 100m / 200m
  • Quick hurdles – 100m hurdles (F) or 110m hurdles (M) / 100 meters
  • Lengthy sprints – 200m / 400m
  • Lengthy hurdles – 400m hurdles / 400m
  • Quick distance – 800m / 1500m
  • Lengthy distance – 3000m/5000m

    • As you discover, there aren’t any subject occasions (no leaping, no throwing). We are going to come again to this later.

    Every athlete will compete (over 2 days) within the two races of their occasion class.

    So when you race the 100m, you additionally race the 200m. If you happen to race the 400 hurdles, you additionally run the 400 flat.

    That is the half I’m not so certain about. However positively it’s an innovation.

    The ultimate placement for the Slam would be the sum of the factors achieved in every of their two races. Factors are assigned as follows:

  • First place – 10 factors
  • Second place – 8 factors
  • Third place – 6 factors
  • Fourth place – 5 factors
  • Fifth place – 4 factors
  • Sixth place – 3 factors
  • Seventh place – 2 factors
  • Eighth place – 1 level

In case of a tie, the full time of the 2 races mixed counts, and (you guessed it) the quickest one wins.

What about prize cash?

The winner of every Slam class will earn $100,000. That’s actually an order of magnitude increased than what the Diamond League presents their winners: $10,000.

Every Slam is unbiased and doesn’t carry over factors or occasions or placements to successive Slam occasions.

No subject occasions in any respect

Michael Johnson has been requested about it, and his reasoning is evident.

There must be one occasion at a time, with all the eye going to it. Presently, subject occasions happen concurrently the observe occasions, and solely highlights or the very remaining levels of a race are actually proven to viewers.

Because the Grand Slam Observe is supposed to be a 2:30 – 3 hour occasion, there isn’t any time to give attention to leaping and throwing.

This has the potential to be massive

Except for the Olympics, World Championships and regional Championships (such because the European Championships that simply concluded final week), the largest observe and subject stars compete every year within the Diamond League.

The difficulty with the Diamond League is that not each “champion” participates in all occasions. There’ll at all times be massive names collaborating, however very hardly ever there might be actual aggressive match-ups.

By contracting (doubtlessly) the 4 greatest athletes in every occasion class, followers know that every of the Slams can have 4 of one of the best competing in opposition to one another – in a contest for actual cash, the place outcomes depend. Plus 4 different elite athletes chosen for every occasion.

Grand Slam Observe continues to be searching for streaming or broadcasting companions. Or if they’ve discovered them already, they haven’t introduced it.

Every “day” of a Slam might be two and a half to 3 hours lengthy.

Different fascinating issues

– No pacers or tempo lights. It’s in regards to the competitors, not the occasions.
– No bibs, no security pins!
– Racers can have their very own sponsored equipment – not their nationwide or their membership equipment. That is extraordinarily fascinating for the sponsor.

Personally, as an enormous observe fan, I look ahead to these Slams. I imagine the important thing would be the potential to certainly join the athletes that individuals wish to watch, for the rivalries that make this sport nice.

I’m unhappy to see no subject occasion included – however I imagine if this enterprise is profitable, each for the athletes, the followers and the league, perhaps new Slams will be created or perhaps a league for then (Grand Slam Area? You’re welcome Michael Johnson).

Are you a observe fan? What do you consider the Grand Slam Observe?