Alison dos Santos joins Grand Slam Track

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He will be joined by Zambia’s Muzala Samukonga and France’s Clément Ducos and the trio will race over 400m and the 400m hurdles at Michael Johnson’s event

Alison dos Santos, Muzala Samukonga and Clément Ducos have signed for Grand Slam Track.

At the Paris Olympics, Dos Santos picked up a second consecutive bronze medal in the 400m hurdles, finishing behind Rai Benjamin and Karsten Warholm.

Alison dos

The 24-year-old, who is the 2022 world 400m hurdles champion, also regained his Diamond League crown in Brussels and boasts a personal best 46.29 over the distance, putting him third on the all-time list.

Dos Santos will also run in the 400m at Grand Slam Track and his quickest mark over one lap stands at 45.25.

“It is a wonderful moment for me to sign with Grand Slam Track,” said Dos Santos. “I am very proud to be the first Brazilian to join this league and look forward to representing my country on the biggest stage across all four Slams.

“I am excited by the format of this league and to have the opportunity to compete for big prizes and bragging rights against my rivals in this sport is a great situation to be in. I am sure the fans around the world will enjoy the spectacle we create and I can’t wait to see so many of them at the Slams in 2025.”

Samukonga secured bronze over one lap at the Olympics and won Zambia’s first medal at the Games – only the country’s third in its history – since Samuel Matete’s silver in the 400m hurdles at Atlanta 1996.

The 21-year-old made a name for himself at the 2022 Commonwealth Games when he stormed to gold in 44.66, collapsing over the line after edging out Matthew Hudson-Smith.

The Brit placed one better than Samukonga at the Olympics but the Zambian did improve his national record to 43.74.

“Being a part of Grand Slam Track is an honour and I will proudly represent my country of Zambia in this league,” said Samukonga.

“I’m excited to be able to continue racing at a high level against great competition across all four Slams. As soon as I heard about GST, I wanted to be involved and now I can look ahead to some great races next year. This project will allow us as athletes to showcase ourselves in many new ways and that is a very enticing prospect.”

Ducos has had a breakthrough season and placed fourth in the Olympic 400m hurdles final behind Benjamin, Warholm and Dos Santos.

The 23-year-old French star was cheered on by a partisan Stade de France crowd and recorded a time of 47.76 in Paris.

He then bettered that mark with a stunning 47.42 at the Silesia Diamond League, which saw Ducos go fourth on the European 400m hurdles all-time list.

“This is a very special opportunity for me,” said Ducos. “I am happy to be representing France in Grand Slam Track and look forward to competing against the best in the world in this league.

“This is a great platform for us as athletes to grow and stay at the forefront of sport around the world. Coming off the back of the Olympics, I am delighted to be able to be a part of GST and build this league. I look forward to continuing to test myself against many other great Racers and can’t wait to get started.”

It means that 13 athletes have now signed for Grand Slam Track with Dos Santos, Samukonga and Ducos joining Masai Russell, Cyréna Samba-Mayela, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Melissa Jefferson, Fred Kerley, Kenny Bednarek, Cole Hocker, Yared Nuguse, and Josh Kerr.

All of these athletes will be Racers which means they compete in all four of the Slams and receive an annual base compensation for competing in each one, as well as being eligible for full prize money.

At Grand Slam Track there will be 48 Racers and Challengers. They 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 (100m hurdles or 110m hurdles/100m), long sprints (200m/400m), long hurdles (400m hurdles/400m), short distance (800m/1500m), or long distance (3000m/5000m).

“I am delighted to welcome three exceptional young international talents to the Grand Slam Track family,” said Michael Johnson, its founder and commissioner. “We have built Grand Slam Track to serve track fans all around the world and having Clement, Alison and Muzala as part of the league will help ensure this.

“Track is the world’s oldest sport and is beloved across the entire globe. We want to be a league that cherishes and celebrates that fact. We’re thrilled that each of these Racers sees our vision and wants to help build a league the world can watch and enjoy together.

“I’m certain that each of them will bring their own personality and flair to Grand Slam Track, as we find out who really are the fastest people on the planet.”