Michael Johnson believes his Grand Slam Track series fills a “gap” in athletics and is optimistic it will continue to attract the biggest names.
The former great American sprinter hopes his new league, which launches next year, will modernize the sport and reach a new audience.
With record prizes available for athletes competing at distances ranging from 100 meters to 5,000m, the Grand Slam Track will feature contracted stars competing in four events between April and September.
“I’m very happy with the way it’s going,” Johnson told the PA news agency. “We have already recruited half of the (athletes) who won medals in Paris.
“It just proves that this is what the athletes wanted, but more importantly you need fans and the fans have been extremely positive and excited about the Grand Slam Track launching next year.
“There’s a lot of work to do, but that’s what we need in this sport.”
British 400m silver medalist Matthew Hudson-Smith is the latest big name to sign up, joining Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Josh Kerr.
But there’s still plenty of work to do if Johnson’s hopes of showcasing the best against the best in each discipline are to be realized, with Noah Lyles, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Sha’Carri Richardson, Julien Alfred, Femke Bol and Keely Hodgkinson among them. not yet registered.
Johnson is relaxed and says, “We’ll continue to recruit athletes this year, but we won’t go anywhere as well.” There are athletes who may not join this year who will join next year.
“For some athletes it’s going to take them a little longer – we’re in a different format than they’re used to, so it’s going to take a while. But I’m very happy so far that we’re getting all the big names and medalists, which is what we wanted.
Since retiring from competition, the four-time Olympic champion has remained involved in the sport as an expert, but has devoted most of his time to entrepreneurship and investments outside of sport.
Inspired by the model of tennis and golf majors, Johnson, who was the keynote speaker at Bupa’s annual health symposium on Tuesday, saw an opportunity and believes now is the time.
He said: “I was getting involved in other sports and I thought, ‘This is a great time for sport, a great time to invest in sport, why not invest in my own sport?’ »
“I always saw the opportunity, but the other thing was that this collection of current athletes are not only incredible athletes, but it’s the greatest collection of personalities I’ve seen in a while. “
It remains to be seen to what extent the Grand Slam Track and other initiatives like Athlos, a women-only competition launched this year by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, will shake up the calendar.
The Diamond League, currently the leading racing series outside of major events, has already announced it will increase its prize money for next year.
Johnson doesn’t see it as much of a competition, saying: “I see us filling a void that existed in this sport where you rarely get the opportunity outside of major world championships to see the best athletes compete.”
“I think it will move the sport forward. There is a common assumption that the hierarchy in sport is happy with the way things are going and that something new disrupts that in a negative way.
“I think it’s quite the opposite for our sport. If you listen to what the sports hierarchy has been talking about over the last few years, they’re saying, “Hey, we need more people, we need more investment, we need more innovation, we need to develop sport”. the United States, the largest market in the world. And that’s all we do.
Health is another area Johnson is passionate about after suffering a stroke in 2018 that forced him to learn how to walk again.
He credits his underlying health with helping him recover remarkably quickly and is also a firm believer in the benefits of digital innovation in this area, including Bupa’s Blua platform, which offers remote healthcare and appointments -you virtual.
“I recognize the platform that I have, and if I can help others, that’s certainly important to me,” he said.
:: Michael Johnson was the keynote speaker at Bupa’s annual healthcare symposium. To learn more about Bupa’s digital health platform, Blua, please visit https://www.bupa.com/impact/digital-healthcare/blua