by Larry Eder
GRAND SLAM TRACK™ Announces Signings of Nikki Hiltz, Grant Fisher, & Ronald Kwemoi
Roster of Racers continues to grow with elite track talent from across the world
New York, NY (October 15th, 2024) – Grand Slam Track™, the new global home of professional track competition, launched earlier this year by four-time US Olympic Champion Michael Johnson, today officially announced the signings of a trio of Olympic distance runners: Nikki Hiltz, Grant Fisher, and Ronald Kwemoi. All three competed at the Paris Olympics this past summer, with Kwemoi claiming silver in the men’s 5000m, and Fisher picking up two bronze medals in the men’s 5000m and 10000m. All three Racers will compete in all four Grand Slam Track™ Slams in 2025, meaning fans are guaranteed to see these superstars take on their rivals in high stakes competition four times next year.
The Armory, New York, NY, USA, photo by Kevin Morris
“We are continuing to add top tier talent to our roster of Grand Slam Track™ Racers,” said Michael Johnson, the league’s founder and Commissioner. “With Nikki, Grant, and Ronald, we are assured elite performance and great personalities, and we are delighted to welcome them all officially into the Grand Slam Track™ family. Nikki is a cornerstone of the 1500m circuit, and Grant and Ronald know each other very well from their incredibly close finish in the 5000m in Paris. I’m certain track fans around the world will be excited at the prospect of knowing they can see these rivals face off on the track four times a year in Grand Slam Track™.”
Hiltz, from Santa Cruz, California, ran collegiately for the Oregon Ducks and the Arkansas Razorbacks, and is a 6-time NCAA Division I All-American. With Oregon, Hiltz won a National Championship and a Pac-12 Championship, both in 2015. They hold the American record in the mile, and won both the 2023 & 2024 US 1500m championship. This year, Hiltz won the silver medal at the 2024 World Indoor Championships and competed in the 1500m at the Paris Olympics, qualifying to the final where they finished in 7th place.
“I’m ecstatic to be a part of Grand Slam Track™,” said Hiltz. “The opportunity to compete in regularly scheduled elite meets like these Slams is a great step forward for us as athletes, and I’m certain fans will love the concept. MJ explained the vision to me and it was obvious that being involved in this was a no-brainer. I can’t wait to get started.”
Fisher was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, but raised in Grand Blanc, Michigan, and represents the United States. The Stanford University product took home two bronze medals this past summer at his second Olympic Games, stepping onto the podium for both the 5000m and 10000m. Collegiately, Fisher was honored eleven times with NCAA Division I All-American recognition, and won two individual Pac-12 Cross Country championships, plus the Pac-12 1500m title, and the outdoor 5000m national championship in 2017.
“I’m thrilled to be part of Grand Slam Track™, which I believe is the future of our sport,” said Fisher. “Looking ahead to 2025, the opportunity to compete in four high-level Slams against the fastest men in the world marks a major shift for track and field. Building on the momentum from the Olympics, this gives us Racers an exciting chance to face off regularly, with big prizes and bragging rights at stake. I can’t wait to hit the track next year and see who’s truly the best.”
Kwemoi, from Mount Elgon District, Bungoma County, Kenya, won the silver medal in the 5000m in Paris. He is the first Kenyan athlete to sign with Grand Slam Track™. Earlier in his career, Kwemoi was a 1500m specialist, and still holds the world U20 record in that event. Now, he has transitioned into longer distances and will seek to dominate his competition in Grand Slam Track™.
“I am very excited to be the first athlete representing my country of Kenya in Grand Slam Track™,” said Kwemoi. “I want to continue to test myself against the best runners in the world, and Grand Slam Track™ is the perfect stage for that. This league is a great project to be a part of, and it will be very exciting when the Slams begin next year.”
Each year, 48 athletes will be named to the league as Grand Slam Track™ Racers. Hiltz, Fisher, and Kwemoi join a stacked roster of talents announced so far in Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Melissa Jefferson, Masai Russell, Quincy Hall, Fred Kerley, Kenny Bednarek, Cole Hocker, Yared Nuguse, Josh Kerr, Matthew Hudson-Smith, Cyrena Samba-Mayela, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, Alison Dos Santos, Muzala Samukonga, and Clement Ducos. The 48 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. Grand Slam Track™ 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 Grand Slam Track™ Racers will receive annual contracts, access to the Grand Slam Track™ 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. Grand Slam Track™ 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 Grand Slam Track™ Challengers and will be paid a set appearance fee to compete at individual Slams. Grand Slam Track™ 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.
