Gabby Thomas made history as the first victor at the debut Grand Slam Track event on Friday, after grappling with the “hard decision” to enter the 200m and 400m dashes.
Thomas blazed to victory in the 200m with a time of 22.62 seconds, bagging 12 points and setting herself up for a potential $100,000 prize in the women’s long sprints category. The Olympian managed to edge out Marileidy Paulino in the race, although she didn’t see either Sha’Carri Richardson or Noah Lyles at the event, as both opted out.
This fresh athletics competition groups some of the globe’s top sprinters together, challenging them across two distances, with points awarded based on their finish. Thomas was caught in a dilemma over choosing between the short sprints group (100m/200m) and the long sprints, ultimately opting for the latter.
“It was a hard decision to make. “Obviously, I can do the short sprints or the long and my coach and I sat down and we made decisions on which slams we would do,” Thomas told Citius Mag. “The 400m is a little bit more fun to run earlier in the season but at the end of the day it didn’t really matter.
“When I think about racing Salwa (Eid Naser) and Paulino, I think I’m really going to challenge myself, it’s going to be a hard race, I’m going to challenge myself and I’m doing it against the best of the best. I’m welcoming that challenge, I’m accepting it and hopefully, I rise to the occasion.”
Thomas is dominating the 200m and with a solid performance in the 400m, she looks set to bag the top reward. The 200m, where Thomas shines as the current Olympic champion, is her pride and joy, while the 400m presented a bigger gamble for the 28-year-old athlete.
(Image: Getty Images)
“I feel pretty confident in my speed and the 200m is my favorite event and I will definitely be the favorite just because it’s my main event,” Thomas added. “You have to kind of stretch yourself to make it work.”
GST, under the co-founding eye of Michael Johnson, who won four Olympic golds, kicked off its inaugural event in Kingston, Jamaica on April 4. Throughout the year, athletes will compete in four series slams across Miami, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles, besides the opening city. This year, a prize pool of $12.6 million is up for grabs, offering athletes $100,000 for leading the pack, with diminishing returns based on their finish – but no one goes home empty-handed, as even last place secures a $10,000 purse.
Each showdown will host 48 competitors squaring off against 48 challengers, with all racers contracted for a yearly salary plus potential winnings. Johnson, drawing from his sprinting days and the financial hurdles many face in athletics, aimed to create a lucrative sporting event through GST.
“Most of the athletes suffer greatly because they aren’t able to realize any value,” Johnson said. “Those athletes end up in situations where, many years later, and sometimes even in their careers, they’re wondering, ‘Should I have made this choice? I love this sport, but I’m suffering financially, I’m suffering mentally trying to make a living in this sport.”
Johnson is setting his sights on challenging the well-established Diamond League and steering athletics onto a more promising path. Thomas got wind of Johnson’s ambitious plans during the Paris Olympics and has been all in ever since. She’s convinced it could be a major turning point.
“I’m really excited, I first heard about Grand Slam, it feels like forever ago now and I remember having the initial meeting back at the Paris Olympics and hearing the concept for the first time and I thought it was absolutely incredible,” Thomas said. “I’m an athlete who loves to race and I believe in racing against the best and I’m excited for it to finally come to fruition.”
- Source: NEWHD MEDIA
