1500m World Champion Josh Kerr has officially signed with Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track for its debut season in 2025.
Josh Kerr is now the league’s second announced athlete, following Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who was revealed as part of the league’s launch last week in Los Angeles.
Kerr is currently the world’s fastest miler, clocking in at 3:45.34 at the Prefontaine Classic. He remains unbeaten in 2024, having set a two-mile world record of 8:00.67 at the Millrose Games and winning gold in the 3000m at the World Indoor Championships.
Grand Slam Track will begin in 2025 with four meets, each of which will feature over $3 million in prize money, totaling $12.6 million. This is in addition to base compensation and appearance fees for racers.
Athletes will compete for a $100,000 prize, awarded based on their combined scores from two races over three days. Kerr, one of 48 contracted athletes, will race at all four events. He is expected to compete in the 800m/1500m category.
Kerr expressed his excitement to Citius Magazine, “Making this announcement today is incredibly exciting for me. Grand Slam Track is the future for this sport and I’m buzzing to be the first British Racer signed to the league. Getting to work with Michael, a great of the sport, is awesome. He wants to shake things up and change this game for the better. He has put us athletes at the forefront of all his decisions in creating the league. I can’t wait to get racing in the Slams and to put on a performance for all track fans around the world. I look forward to facing the best in the world four times a year.”
Commissioner Michael Johnson also spoke to Citius Magazine, “I am excited to announce Josh Kerr as a GST Racer, and add such a talented competitor to our roster. Josh will show the world his incredible speed at the Olympics this summer, but we already know he is one of the fastest men on this planet. We want to have a diverse, international roster of talent for our four Slams, and having Josh on board is a hugely important announcement for our league.”
Next up for Kerr is the 800m at the British national championships. He will also compete in the 1500m at the Paris Olympics, where he’s a top contender for gold.
