This is the Grand Slam track, the revolution that reached athletics

When he ran, Michael Johnson He is a unique person, capable of challenging the canons of step on his upright body, almost returned. Thus he entered the legend with world records of 200 and 400 meters. As an entrepreneur seems to be eating separately. Only he dared to challenge the immobilist dynamics of athletes as a product and revolutionary promise, since Friday in Kingston (Jamaica), to change this sport. Johnson launched the Grand Slam Track, an alternative circuit of meetings born to compete with the official Diamond League ‘ With a very clear spot: Higher awards, absence of hares, larger television and racing athletes, without competitions.

Johnson has considered a new product and his popularity in the US years has helped him find 30 million dollars of private investors They believe in their idea. Call the ‘Grand Slam’ invention because it focuses on the circuit with four appointments, such as ‘Great’ of Tennis or Golf, and ‘Track’ because it’s only interested in the track, races. Jump and launch a fall from the product To concentrate, he says, the viewer’s attention to a test and not for many hours. “This is one of the problems. Awaiting at the same time a race in the ring, a launch at the disc cage and a jump with the show ”he explained. A controversial decision to leave, for example, which is the most athletic media star, the pertiguist Armand Duplantis. The attention will focus on the streets with all Olympic distances of 100 to 5,000 smooth, along with 110 and 400 fences. And no hares: Johnson doesn’t want the obsession with the records to kill the rest of the show. Feelings of careers and competitions to take the benefit -benefit awards should be sufficient.

Athletes are sure enough for them, as the awards are historic for athletes. A 12.5 million dollar bag that confirmed the Diamond League, sharing only nine ‘kilograms’ at 15 meetingsAnd that after uploading his bag for the new circuit competition. Win an event in one of the four Grand Slam track quotes will report $ 100,000;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; Tagging the final Grand Prix of World Athletics reports 30,000, less than a third.

This will be the Grand Slam track

The keys to the new circuit

4 meetings of 3 days (Friday to Sunday) Kingston (Jamaica) April 4 to 6
Miami (USA) May 2 to 4
Philadelphia (USA) May 30th to June 1
Los Angeles June 27 to 29
 
Trials: 100, 200, 400, 800, 1,500, 3,000, 5,000 meters; 100/110 m. Fences, 400 m. Fences
(No jumps or leaks are disputed)
Hares are forbidden
Two races at each distance by assembly. The winner of the assembly came from the sum of the points
 
2 Athlete Groups:
GST Racers: They are top-10 worldwide signed for four meetings, forced to promote the Grand Slam track
GST challenges: Payment for displaying time at each meeting, they will be selected based on their recent actions and state form
 
Awards bags: 12.6 million dollars
Meeting and Trial Awards:
1st $ 100,000; Th -2 50,000; Th -3 30,000; 4th 25,000; Thunder -5 20,000; Th -6 15,000; Thunder -7 12,500; 8º 10,000

Kingston, Miami, Philadelphia and Los Angeles, Where the chief of the circuit is, they are the headquarters of the first edition, which extends to the end of June. Each meeting lasts three days, and two races i -play at each distance With both protagonists, whose sum of positions will determine the winner. “Our idea is to develop formula 1 or the UFC athletics,” Johnson said, who has Definitely TV for 190 countries (in Spain for Eurosport) and greater range in the US than the Diamond League.

What is missing? Many more stars. No a Jakob ingebriga by a Noe Lylesto name two remarkable ignorance. But they signed a contract for four meetings such as ‘Racers’ – the stars of the circuit, fixed and forced to cooperate with the media as ambassadors – ‘top’ athletes as Sydney McLaughlin, Yared Nuguye, Josh Kerr, Fred Kerley or Ken Bednarek. And two Spanish, Mohamed Attaoui and Thierry ndikumwenayoThey appear as ‘challenge’, which are rented by loose meetings. He also lacks the impact in Europe. The four meetings are based in the United States (3) and Jamaica, with a bit of pleasant schedules for the old continent. Johnson left the leap to Europe later, while athletes in the world ponde Sebastian COE.

There is no pressure from the athletes in the world to selected athletes so they don’t accept to be part of the Grand Slam track, at least now. The calendar appears to be more loaded than an internal World Cup and European in the same year in the first time, a World Cup and a World Cup in Tokyo, but on paper, an athlete can wake up to the appointments of the new circuit with the Grand Prix of World Athletics, assuming the risk of overloading its weather. Sebastian COE, President of WA, had an attitude away from the UEFA reaction to the Soccer Super League: “I see no reason not to be kind to an organization and a former athlete who decides to devote his time and resources to invest in athletes. Of course I want me to succeed.”COE said of Michael Johnson’s initiative. Of course, its success, if you have it, will directly affect the future ‘official’ Grand Prix’s future.