Olympic champion Gabby Thomas won the very first event in the Grand Slam Track series, taking the women’s 200m win in the Long Sprint category, to get her points campaign off to a positive start.

Thomas arrived at the top of the bend behind Brit Dina-Asher-Smith, but showed her strength to power home in 22.62 seconds. Marileidy Paulino finished second in 22.93 seconds with Asher-Smith fading to third in 22.96.

Grand Slam Track will feature six event categories for men and women, with each event category carrying two disciplines that competitors will compete in over the course of a weekend.

Each category will have eight competitors in total — four signed “Grand Slam Racers,” who were chosen based on their world rankings and merits. The other four competitors will be the “Grand Slam Challengers,” — generally upcoming athletes.

Points will be allocated for placements with the athlete with the best combined score for the two events in their category securing the win and US$100,000. Cash prizes will be distributed to each position with the last-placed athlete walking away with US$10,000.

The series will also make stops in Miami (May 2-4), Philadelphia (May 30-June 1) and Los Angeles (June 27-29).