The 2024 track and field has been nothing but exciting, with the 2024 Paris Olympics and the Diamond League keeping fans on the edge of their seats. However, it definitely left them reeling for more. But former Olympic champion sprinter Michael Johnson’s brainchild, Grand Slam Track, will be gracing our screens next April. Bringing the fastest athletes in the world will face off in over 4 meets or Slams from April to September. 

With the excitement for the event off the roofs, the American track legend is looking to change the game. This time, the official X account dropped a short video, captioned, “The lowdown on how we keep score ⬇️” How are they going to keep track of who really is the best? They will be introducing a never-seen-before scoring system tailored to produce electrifying results.

Here’s what you need to know! Each slam will feature six events: Short Sprints (100m, 200m), Long Sprints (100m, 200m), Short Hurdles (100m/110m Hurdles, 100m flat), Long Hurdles (400m Hurdles, 400m flat), short distance (800m, 1500m), and long distance (3000m, 5000m). Based on these, eight athletes will be racing for points. 1st place receives 10 points, 2nd place gets 8 points, 3rd place walks away with 6 points, 4th place gets 5 points, and 6th to 8th place will receive 3, 2, and 1 point, respectively. 

https://twitter.com/GrandSlamTrack/status/1843375100390703254

All caught up? Great. Now, what do these points mean? Since each athlete will be contesting in 2 events, their points will be combined by the end of each Slam. The athlete who gets the most points will emerge victorious. Now we know what you’re wondering. What happens if 2 or more athletes are tied? This is where the major change comes in! The racer with the lowest combined time from both events will walk away with a medal.

For example, if two athletes have accumulated 14 total points on the table, they will then take a look at both of their times. Racer 1 finished their events in 30 seconds, while Racer 2 went a second over. That means Racer 1 will be crowned as the winner of that particular event at Grand Slam Track. But that’s not it. There’s a massive cash prize too! The total prize fund is a whopping $12.6 million, with 1st place taking away a whipping $100,000 and 8th place receiving $10,000. That’s not all. If an athlete wins gold in each of the slams, they could potentially win $400,000. How does this compare to existing leagues?

Grand Slam Track looks forward to revolutionizing track and field

Shortly after the 2024 Diamond League commenced, they shocked the track and field world with an announcement on X. “Prize money in the Wanda Diamond League will increase to its highest ever level from the 2025 season onwards 💎New total over a third higher than recent seasons, with an estimated 270 million USD invested in athletes since 2010 📈.” The league would now boast a total prize fund of a massive $500,000.

But many weren’t too excited about it. Amid the chaos, GST made an announcement of their own. “EVERY. SINGLE. SLAM. 💰 Catch the fastest Racers in the world compete for the largest prize money in the sport four times a year!” The sly dig was about their cash prizes, which would still be comparatively higher than what DL offers, and their recent update gives them another point against the Diamond League. 

While the Grand Slam Track’s point system seems fresh with the addition of a tiebreaker, DL will still follow the same pointing system they’ve always had:

While there isn’t a stark difference between GST’s and DL’s pointing system, they award their winners differently. For example, a particular athlete racks up the most points on the table by the end of the league. You’d assume they receive the top prize, right? However, that wasn’t the case.

Race winners during the finale at Brussels automatically walked away with the Diamond Trophy and $30,000. But, on the Grand Slam Track, things will turn out differently. Not only is GST rewarding its winners, but they’re also making sure that the sport remains as exciting as ever with this major change. What do you think about it? Let us know in the comments!