The three medallists in the 100m hurdles from Paris – Masai Russell, Cyréna Samba-Mayela and Jasmine Camacho-Quinn – join Michael Johnson’s event
Masai Russell, Cyréna Samba-Mayela and Jasmine Camacho-Quinn – the three athletes that made up the Olympic 100m hurdles in Paris – have signed for Grand Slam Track.
Olympic 100m
In one of the closest races during the entire the Olympics, the trio were separated by just three hundredths of a second with Russell, Samba-Mayela and Camacho-Quinn running 12.33, 12.34 and 12.36 respectively.
Russell claimed gold on her Olympic debut and became the fourth American to stand on the top of the 100m hurdles podium this century after Joanna Hayes, Dawn Harper and Brianna Rollins.
Olympic 100m hurdles (Getty)
The 24-year-old is joint-fifth on the 100m hurdles all-time list with 12.24 – a time she ran to win the US Championships – and is also the NCAA record-holder over the distance.
“Signing with Grand Slam Track is a great moment for me personally and professionally,” said Russell. “The vision for this league is clear – putting fans and athletes first and that’s something I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be a part of.
“Coming off the Olympics, I want to continue regularly competing at the highest level, against the best in the world and I’m certain that Grand Slam Track is the place for that. I’m delighted that Cyréna and Jasmine are joining too and I’ll look forward to seeing them line up next to me on the track four times next year.”
Cyréna Samba-Mayela (Getty)
Samba-Mayela won France’s only track and field medal at the Games and was so close to becoming the Olympic 100m hurdles champion.
The 23-year-old also won European 100m hurdles gold, secured a world indoor silver medal in the 60m hurdles and improved her personal best to 12.31.
“This is a very special opportunity for me,” said Samba-Mayela. “I am proud to be the first French athlete to sign with Grand Slam Track and look forward to representing my country in this new and exciting league. Michael’s vision for the sport’s future is huge and I’m delighted to be able to be a part of it.
“Giving the athletes more freedom to express ourselves and grow our brands is a great step forward in the track world and the fans will reap the benefits of this. Knowing that I will race against Jasmine and Masai four times each year is fantastic and I look forward to continuing to test myself against formidable opposition.”
Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (Getty)
Camacho-Quinn was the previous Olympic 100m hurdles champion before Paris but did add a bronze medal to her illustrious collection in the French capital.
The 28-year-old is also a double world medallist over the distance and claimed the Diamond League 100m hurdles crown in Brussels.
Her personal best of 12.26, which currently puts Camacho-Quinn joint-seventh on the 100m hurdles all-time list, comes from 2021 but her quickest mark this year is still a rapid 12.35.
“I am delighted to announce my participation in Grand Slam Track,” said Camacho-Quinn. “Representing Puerto Rico on the new biggest stage in global track will be an honour for me.
“As soon as I heard about the league, the concept and the desire to keep track at the forefront of the sports world, I knew I had to be a part of it. I can’t wait to get started and am looking forward to facing Masai and Cyréna at all of the Slams next year.”
It means that 10 athletes have now signed for Grand Slam Track with Russell, Samba-Mayela and Camacho-Quinn joining Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Melissa Jefferson, Fred Kerley, Kenny Bednarek, Cole Hocker, Yared Nuguse, and Josh Kerr.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (Getty)
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).
Michael Johnson (Grand Slam Track)
“What a great day for Grand Slam Track,” said Michael Johnson, Grand Slam Track’s founder and commissioner. “Adding Masai, Cyréna, and Jasmine to our roster of Racers is a fantastic moment for this league, and fans of Track all around the world.
“These three incredibly talented young women provided the world with one of the best races of the Paris Olympic Games and now we know for certain that we’ll be seeing that contest four more times in 2025. With bragging rights and big money on the line, the stakes are high, and that’s what Grand Slam Track is all about.
“Our team is only going from strength to strength, and we are delighted to have Masai, Cyréna, and Jasmine on board the GST train… and it’s only getting faster.”
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