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GRAND SLAM TRACK™ Announces Signing of Team GB Olympian Josh Kerr as First U.K. “Racer”Published by
GRAND SLAM TRACK™ Announces Signing of Team GB Olympian Josh Kerr as First U.K. “Racer” Signed for League Beginning Competition in Spring 2025 Kerr joins Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone as first two announced signees with the league.
London, UK (June 26, 2024) - Grand Slam Track™, the new global home of professional track competition, launched last week by four-time US Olympic Champion Michael Johnson, today officially announced the signing of double World Champion and British Olympian Josh Kerr. The latest addition to GST, originally from Edinburgh, Scotland, won the bronze medal in the 1500m at the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo, and holds the world record in the indoor two mile. He also holds the British record in the outdoor mile, and the European record in the indoor mile.
“I am excited to announce Josh Kerr as a GST Racer, and add such a talented competitor to our roster,” said Michael Johnson, the league’s founder and Commissioner. “Josh will show the world his incredible speed at the Olympics this summer, but we already know he is one of the fastest men on this planet. We want to have a diverse, international roster of talent for our four Slams, and having Josh on board is a hugely important announcement for our league.”
Kerr won the 1500m crown at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, before also taking the gold medal in the 3000m at the 2024 World Indoor Championships in his native Scotland. Kerr is set to be an integral part of Team GB at this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris. Kerr attended the University of New Mexico and won three NCAA Championships. He is the second signee to Grand Slam Track™, following American Hurdler Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who was announced at launch.
“Making this announcement today is incredibly exciting for me,” said Kerr. “Grand Slam Track is the future for this sport and I’m buzzing to be the first British Racer signed to the league. Getting to work with Michael, a great of the sport, is awesome. He wants to shake things up and change this game for the better. He has put us athletes at the forefront of all his decisions in creating the league. I can’t wait to get racing in the Slams and to put on a performance for all track fans around the world. I look forward to facing the best in the world four times a year.”
Grand Slam Track™ was unveiled last week in a launch event in Los Angeles, where it was announced that the city would serve as global headquarters for the league, and as a host city for one of the four annual Slams. The inaugural Slam will take place in April 2025, followed by three more Slams over the summer months. There will be one further Slam that will take place in the United States, and two in international locations. The other host cities will be announced and celebrated in their respective local markets later this summer.
Each year, 48 athletes will be named to the league as GST Racers. Kerr and McLaughlin-Levrone are the first two of these 48 to be announced. These racers are selected by the Grand Slam Track Racing Committee based on a combination of factors to include the fastest and best racers in each race group, with a focus on fierce rivalries and thrilling competitive racing. GST Racers commit to racing in all four Slams per year. They will receive an annual base compensation for racing in each Slam and are eligible for full prize money. These GST Racers will receive annual contracts, access to the GST content and data services team, inclusion in the league collective, group licensing and new revenue opportunities, plus access to world class athlete support services throughout the season. GST racers are compensated under contract to race and promote the league and receive additional marketing and branding support.
The remaining 48 racers will be known as GST Challengers and will be paid a set appearance fee to compete at individual Slams. GST Challengers are chosen by the Grand Slam Track Racing Committee based on a combination of factors including recent performances, and the most intriguing athletes and matchups.
Racers and Challengers will be assigned to compete in one of the following categories, and will all race in two events during each Slam: short sprints (100m/200m), short hurdles (100H or 110H/100m), long sprints (200m/400m), long hurdles (400H/400m), short distance (800m/1500m), or long distance (3000m/5000m). All competitors’ final placement score will be determined by their combined finishing order between the two races. In the event of a tie across the two events, it will be the athlete who had the quickest combined time across the two races who will be deemed the winner. The winner of each Slam group will take home $100,000 in prize money, and the 8th place competitor will earn $10,000. Grand Slam Track will have a total of $12.6m of prize money that will be awarded across the slams each year in addition to the base compensation and appearance fees paid to racers.
The focus of Grand Slam Track is on head to head competition, not winning times. There will be no rabbits or pacing lights. Each Slam is equally as important as any other, will have its own prize purse, and will be independently scored, with points and previous finishes not carrying over to the following Slams. All racers will compete twice over the three-day event, and all Slam events will meet World Athletics regulations, with achieved marks being eligible for rankings and standards.
Racers will compete in their own sponsored kits, without traditional hip numbers or bibs. Racers and Challengers are encouraged to work with their sponsors to create customized kits, in their own desired style. Grand Slam Track has no affiliation or sponsorship agreement with any shoe company; all shoe companies are considered to be important stakeholders and partners in the promotion of our racers.
Grand Slam Track has secured more than $30 million in financial commitments from investors and strategic partners for the launch of the league. Winners Alliance, a global, athlete-centric commercial solution and Johnson’s operating partner, was the lead investor in the first fundraising close for the new venture. The investment in the league will aid in Johnson’s ultimate goal: to develop better engagement with fans by promoting track and field’s biggest stars and reaching new audiences with unique, innovative storytelling.
Ticket sales information will be released in due course. For further information, please follow @GrandSlamTrack on all social media platforms, and visit grandslamtrack.com.
About Michael Johnson Born in Dallas, Texas, Michael Johnson is a Hall of Fame track and field star, universally recognized as one of the greatest sprinters of all time. He won four Olympic gold medals and eight World Championships across his career, and held world and Olympic records in both the 200m and 400m races. At the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Johnson became the first and only male athlete to win the Gold medal in both the 200m and 400m at the same Olympics. Since retiring from active competition, Johnson has become a serial entrepreneur and investor, as well as highly sought after performance mindset speaker and an award winning television commentator. Johnson has been a pundit for the BBC’s coverage of every Olympics Games since Athens 2004, and remains a key voice on, and advocate for the sport. Johnson was inducted into the United States Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2004. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
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