The eyes of the world will be on Jamaica as Grand Slam Track Series runs off in Kingston.

The event sees multiple Olympic and World champions descending on the National Stadium for the series debut.

Conceptualiser of the event Michael Johnson, on the verge of seeing his dream become a reality, told the Jamaica Observer that he is excited because the athletes are excited and the fans are excited, which is exactly what he wanted.

“We need this kind of excitement in this sport, and I couldn’t be happier because when you look, the athletes are excited. They’re ready to race,” the four-time Olympian said. “Look at social media. Everybody’s talking about who’s going to win.”

Grand Slam Track will feature 96 competitors, consisting of 48 “Racers” and 48 “Challengers” from across 22 countries competing in various track events, including sprints, hurdles, and distance races.

A total of US$12.5 million (just under $2 billion) is up for grabs, with the winners pocketing US$100,000 (close to $16 million), with second taking home US$50,000 (near $8 million) straight down to eighth place getting US$10,000 ($1.5 million).

The event, to be broadcast in 189 countries, will have 20 Jamaicans amongst the galaxy of stars on show in the first of the four-event series.

Olympic sprint hurdles gold medallists Omar McLeod and Hansle Parchment, Oblique Seville, Ackeem Blake, Zandrion Barnes, Roshawn Clarke, Ackera Nugent, Rushell Clayton, Stacey Ann Williams, and Nickisha Pryce are among those to lace up.

Of note, crowd-pullers like Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Shericka Jackson, and Elaine Thompson Herah, darlings of Jamaican track, are not a part of the spectacle and this might hurt the number of fans turning out.

However, a wonderful array of international stars will be on show, among them 400m hurdles world record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Lerone, Gabby Thomas, Salwa Eid Naser, Marileidy Paulino, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, Dalilah Muhammad, Alexis Holmes, Fred Kerley, Emmanuel Wanyonyi, and Marco Arop.

This, Johnson said, is enough to kick off the Kingston Slam in style with some intriguing matchups between Racers and Challengers.

“So, the good thing is, all of our event groups are interesting, because it’s all the best in the world,” Johnson said.

There will be four Grand Slam events overall. After leaving Jamaica they move onto Miami (May 2-4); Philadelphia (May 30-June 1), and Los Angeles (June 27-29).

The Grand Slam Track series is about growing the sport and fan base beyond the Olympic Games, World Championships, and Diamond League, and giving the athletes the chance to make more money.

Kingston, known as the sprint capital of the world, will be watched in the 100m as Jamaica’s Oblique Seville and Ackeem Blake line up against Americans Kenny Bednarek and Fred Kerley.

Rising star Alana Reid, the World Under-20 100m champion, will match strides with Paris Olympic 200m bronze medallist Brittany Brown, and Daryll Neita in some intriguing matchups.

The women’s 400m is another interesting event as it features Jamaica’s Pryce with Eid Naser, and Paulino.

Olympian Andrenette Knight (Photo: Garfield Robinson)