Olympic champions Gabby Thomas and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone dominated on the first day of the Grand Slam Track event in Kingston, Jamaica. The event described as the “Formula One of athlete racing” by four time Olympic gold medallist Michael Johnson, has a $12.6 million prize money for four events.
Gabby Thomas, the three time Olympic gold medallist won the women’s 200 meters in 22.62 seconds. She spoke of confidence ahead of her 400 meter event on Saturday, noting the quality competition in the quarter mile event.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the world record holder for the 400 meter hurdles, swept her event of choice with a 52.76 seconds performance. Describing her race, she said she found the first race of the season was challenging but enjoyed the support from the fans although there were some vacancies at the National Stadium.
Other winners included Ethiopian Ejgayehu Taye in the women’s 3,000 meters and American Nikki Hiltz in the 800 meters secured their victory. In the men’s category, American Kenny Bednarek narrowly beat out Jamaican Oblique Seville in the 100 meters by 10.07 seconds. American Christopher Bailey won the 400 meters, Brazilian Alison dos Santos won the 400 meter hurdles and American Grant Fisher won the 5,000 meters.
The Grand Slam Track series seeks to restore track and field to a broad audience by hosting elite athletes in a high intensity in worldwide broadcasting format. After Kingston, the series will proceed with meets held in Miami, Philadelphia and Los Angeles providing athletes additional chances to compete for large prizes and gain exposure in international level.
