Michael Johnson has been in the news recently for everything track and field. With the underpayment issues of the track athletes reigning supreme, the announcement of the Grand Slam Track has come like a breath of fresh air for the fans and athletes alike. Unfortunately, overlooking the bright side of things, the million-dollar event has garnered some negative publicity too. 

Recently, the US track and field icon announced the very first events of the Grand Slam Track in Jamaica. With the likes of Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone heightening the glamor quotient of the event, fans have been fuming over a particular choice of Johnson. As per his announcement, the inaugural edition of the event will take place in Kingston, Jamaica. And this is something that did not sit well with the fans. 

With a prior track history between the Jamaicans and the Americans, the US fans wanted things to get rolling from their own home. Moreover, Johnson being an American legend also contributed to the fact that the fans were angered by the choice of venue. However, they can now rejoice as the latest GST announcement has dropped. Unveiling the second round of what promises to be a high-octane event, Johnson has finally chosen America. 

As per the latest X post from Grand Slam Track, the action will be moving over to Philadelphia soon. The post read, “SEE YOU SOON, PHILLY… Grand Slam Track heads to the City of Brotherly Love from May 30-June 1, 2025.” The news was further detailed by an X account named ‘Chris Chavez’. He wrote, “NEWS: @PennTrack’s Franklin Field – home of the @pennrelays – will also host 1 of the 4 meets in @GrandSlamTrack’s inaugural season in 2025. Set for May 30th, May 31st and June 1st. The official host cities are set -> Kingston, Miami, Philadelphia & LA.” 

Surely, this will cheer up the spirits of the American fans. After all, a significant amount of people will be able to catch the action live from Philadelphia. The designated venue, i.e., Franklin Field, which also hosts the Penn Relays, attracts 100,000+ fans in the three-day event. Coming back to Michael Johnson, despite the backlashes, there was a solid reason for him to choose Jamaica. 

Michael Johnson reveals his reason behind choosing Jamaica

While being an active athlete, Johnson had to constantly look at the Jamaicans as enemies. However, in reality, the US athlete was well aware of how much of a rich heritage Jamaica brings to the track and field. Over the years, the nation has produced some of the finest track athletes. Home to Usain Bolt, Johnson could not help but pinpoint Jamaica as the fitting venue from where a possible track and field revolution would begin.

Revealing the reason for choosing Jamaica, Johnson explained, “Jamaica has such a strong history in this sport. The talent and love for the sport here make it a perfect fit for what we’re building.” Moreover, this will be a golden opportunity for Jamaica to expand its track and field heritage further. Elated by the news, the Minister of Sports, Olivia Grange, said, “This is a chance for us to be part of something huge, bringing top athletes to our track and helping the sport [to] grow in a new and exciting way.” Thus, with the controversy going back and forth, it remains to be seen how things pan out in the future.