The Grand Slam Track returns this weekend in Philadelphia. There is a lot of excitement around the event, which is taking place from the 31st of May to the 1st of June, and here is what to look forward to:
Kenny Bednarek has won the men’s 100m and 200m sprint races in both Kingston and Miami. Bednarek is topping the table in the Men’s Race Group and is certainly one to watch in Philadelphia as he aims to solidify his position at the top further. The American is currently sitting on 12 points.
The excitement for this meet comes from the fact that Bednarek has only faced off against two people in the lineup. One of these comes in the form of Grand Slam Track regular Zharnel Hughes, a Briton who currently sits 2nd in the table. The other man who Bednarek has faced before is the well-established Andre De Grasse, who appears as the challenger in the series.
Although it will be interesting to see how Bednarek faces off against Hughes and De Grasse again, it’s the challengers he hasn’t faced before who bring some real excitement. Christian Coleman is one of the top American 100m runners. However, his season hasn’t gone as planned since he missed out on the Olympic squad last year. This event could be a real opportunity for Coleman to prove himself against one of the most in-form sprinters at the moment and catapult himself back into the conversation in the 100m scene. Another challenger to keep an eye on is Christian Miller, the American who didn’t go to college and signed with Puma in 2024 to pursue a professional career. Miller is not expected to beat Bednarek or Hughes in the 100m, but he does have a chance to beat the rest of the field and push for that third spot.
The 100m and 200m are expected to go Bednarek’s way, but the field is filled with talent. It will be interesting to see how the race unfolds in other areas, such as the other podium positions.
The field for the men’s 800 and 1500-metre groups looks very strong for the Philadelphia Short Distance events. The Grand Slam Track regulars for these events are stacked with the Olympic 1500 metre podium all participating – Cole Hocker, Josh Kerr, Yared Nuguse, as well as the Olympic 800 metre silver medalist Marco Arop. Arop currently tops the table for this group, above the regulars and the challengers from previous events, boasting 12 points and a personal best in the 1500-metre discipline. The challengers appear to be very promising for this event. Hobbs Kessler has produced some respectable times in both disciplines. Kessler reached the semi-finals in the 800m and the final of the 1500m at the Olympics. Another challenger to watch out for is Josh Hoey, who was relatively unknown until 2024, when he found success on the indoor circuit, posting the second-fastest time ever for the 800 metres on an indoor track.
Plenty more action will take place across the event in both the Men’s and Women’s divisions. To read more about the Grand Slam Track and this weekend’s event in Philadelphia, click here.
