While saying the current state of track and field is “okay”, Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt says he’s hoping the inaugural Grand Slam Track will be able to provide a needed spark into the sport.

The new professional track and field league, founded by America’s Olympic Games champion and former world record holder Michael Johnson, is to be staged in four cities with the opening leg set for the National Stadium in Kingston from April 4-6.

Jamaicans Oblique Seville, Ackera Nugent, Rushell Clayton, Roshawn Clarke and Nickisha Pryce have all signed on to compete at Grand Slam Track, along with several of the world’s top athletes including the United States 400m hurdles superstar Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the Paris Olympics triple gold medallist American Gabby Thomas and Dominican Republic’s Olympic and world champion Marileidy Paulino.

The series, which is to also feature stops in Miami, Philadelphia and Los Angeles, will be the most lucrative in track and field with over US$375,000 ($59 million) to be shared among the top eight finishers at each staging.

There have been some who have been sceptical of the new competition including American sprint star Noah Lyles who questioned the marketing and the location in a recent podcast.

However, the world’s fastest man Bolt believes it could have a positive impact on athletics.

“I think Michael Johnson is doing his new thing which I hope works because it’s better for the athletes. More money [is] always good because track and field is always way down on the totem pole when it comes to making money, so I think if this works, it could be a big deal,” he said on the Ready Set Go podcast with Justin Gatlin and Rodney Green.

After winning eight Olympic Gold medals, 11 World Championships titles and breaking the 100m, 200m and 4x100m records, Bolt hung up his spikes in 2017 at the age of 31.

Since then, there have been several discussions on the state of track and field with many believing it has lost its appeal. Johnson said it’s one of the reasons he started Grand Slam Track.

“We’re revolutionising the track landscape, allowing our sport to remain at the forefront of the sporting world year round,” Johnson said.

Bolt said he has seen improvements in the performances in recent years but wouldn’t say athletics is in an excellent position.

“I think they’re trying. I watch the competition, it’s better I must say. The competition with the women’s level has not dropped. I think they’ve really surpassed men when it comes to competing,” he said.

“I watch and see the level they’re at, everybody’s running world records, they’re running faster times, getting personal records. So for me, it’s okay,” Bolt added.

The 38-year-old, however, believes that a number of current Jamaican athletes don’t have the same hunger compared to the previous generation.

“I watch my fellow Jamaicans and I’m like ‘you guys don’t want it like we used to want it’, because when I sit, have conversations, go to training and observe, ‘I’m like nah it’s not the same’,” Bolt said. ‘

“I think about [Gatlin] all the time when I was running. I show up [at the] track and I’m like I need to get this right because I know I’m going to be good at the top end but if I can’t catch [Gatlin] at the end, what’s going to happen? So I have to make sure I work on everything.”

He continued, “I [used to] feel pain in my calf but I still needed to do something, even if it’s not a full programme. If I need to just jog, just do something to make sure I don’t waste this day, but I don’t think most of these younger athletes are like that, they’re not built the same.”

Ackera Nugent of Jamaica (Photo: Collin Reid)

Jamaica’s 400m hurdles star Roshawn Clarke greets Grand Slam Track founder and Commissioner Michael Johnson during the launch of the Kingston leg at Jamaica Pegasus hotel on November 11, 2024. (Photo: Garfield Robinson)