Grand Slam Track, the high-profile track and field league launched this year by Olympic legend Michael Johnson, is facing a financial crisis that halts any future plans and has left athletes waiting for millions in unpaid prize money.
In a lengthy statement posted Friday morning, Johnson acknowledged the league is “struggling with our ability to compensate” athletes from its inaugural 2025 season, and said the 2026 campaign will not take place unless those debts are cleared.
The admission comes just weeks after Grand Slam’s self-imposed July 31 deadline to pay just over $3 million in prize money from its debut meet in Kingston, Jamaica, money that still hasn’t arrived.
The Kingston winners aren’t alone.
The league owes roughly $13 million in prize money and appearance fees across its three completed meets in Kingston, Miami, and Philadelphia. While athletes in Kingston were paid their appearance fees, their prize checks remain outstanding, and for Miami and Philadelphia, neither appearance nor prize money has been distributed.
Some of the sport’s biggest names are among those waiting, including Gabby Thomas, Grant Fisher, and Kenny Bednarek who are each owed $100,000, Fred Kerley who is owed $25,000, and Josh Kerr who is owed $12,500.
The venture’s early months offered both promise and warning signs.
When GST was announced in late 2024, it drew headlines for its $30 million in funding and $12.6 million in prize money, eye-popping numbers in a sport where even world champions can take home modest paychecks.
The format was built around “Slams” that featured only track events, not field, with athletes able to earn six-figure paydays by winning two races in a meet.
But the April debut in Kingston fell flat in the stands, with many seats empty and local stars absent. Johnson later admitted mistakes in how the meet was staged, but attendance improved in Miami and Philadelphia, boosted by a broadcast deal with The CW.
The fourth and final meet, scheduled for Los Angeles in July, was abruptly canceled.
Johnson said the decision was made to avoid further financial losses and focus on stabilizing the league, a process complicated when a key investor pulled out after making an eight-figure commitment.
“We promised that athletes would be fairly and quickly compensated,” Johnson wrote Friday. “Yet, here we are struggling with our ability to compensate them… This has led to frustration, disappointment, and inconvenience… I know this damages trust.”
Some athletes have been vocal. Thomas commented “So dope! Pls pay me” on one of the league’s social media posts in July. Kerley has posted multiple reminders about the Kingston money, while Fisher warned on July 30 that “tomorrow would be the last day before I think people get pretty upset.”
Others, like Kerr and Bednarek, have taken a more measured tone. “It’s a new business, they’re trying to figure things out,” Bednarek said earlier this month. “I’m not worried, I feel like we’re all going to get paid, so just gotta be patient.”
Athlete agents are split.
One described the situation as “massively frustrating”, another said they are “very worried” the company might go bankrupt. Hawi Keflezighi, who represents middle-distance star Nikki Hiltz, said his team was giving GST the benefit of the doubt, stating “We are rooting for the GST team and investors to figure things out and make the athletes whole.”
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe called the situation “not good” in July, and the governing body has said it is “actively monitoring” developments and speaking with affected athletes. USA Track & Field, which is not directly involved, expressed hope the matter will be resolved soon.
For now, Johnson says the path forward is clear, pay the athletes first.
“The 2026 season will not happen until those obligations are met, and that is my #1 priority,” he said, adding that he remains “confident about the future” of the league despite its current struggles.
He has spent recent weeks meeting with potential investors who, he says, believe track deserves “a prominent place in global sports”, but warned that securing the right partner will take time.
Whether Grand Slam Track can recover from its rocky debut season may come down to how quickly it can restore the trust of the very athletes it set out to elevate, and whether it can make good on the record paydays that drew them in the first place.
