The newly renovated track at the National Stadium has received compliments on its performance by several athletes competing at Grand Slam Track (GST) on Friday.

With GST organisers choosing the National Stadium for its debut, there was some pressure on the local venue to deliver a track worthy of the global attention. The surface received much-needed upgrades in February after noticeable wear and tear.

Its first major test was the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships last week, where it received good feedback.

But questions remained about what it would deliver for professional athletes in a world-class setting.

The track, developed by Rekortan, is unique in look from others around the world, being in the black, green, and gold of the national flag. But did it feel as good to run on as many think it looks?

Several athletes who were experiencing it for the first time concurred.

“It felt good,” national quarter-miler Stacey Ann Williams told the Jamaica Observer after competing in the first race of the event, the women’s 200m sprint.

“I think it’s much harder than the previous track, but mi fraid fi drop pon deh track yah. Mi might scrape up real bad,” she said with a chuckle. “But it was good. It was my first time running on it — excited.”

Four world-leading times were set on the surface. One of those was Brazil’s Alison Dos Santos, who clocked 47.67 seconds in the men’s 400m long hurdles. Jamaica’s Roshawn Clarke was second in this race in 48.58.

“It was good,” Dos Santos said. “It was new, soft, fast, perfect for the competition.”

The other world leads set on the track were Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s 52.76s in the women’s 400m long hurdles and Christopher Bailey’s 44.34 in the men’s 400m long sprint.

The USA’s Nikki Hiltz also set a women’s 800m short distance world lead in 1:58.23 minutes.

“Kung Fu” Kenny Bednarek, of the USA, won the men’s 100m short sprint in 10.07, ahead of Jamaica’s duo of Oblique Seville and Ackeem Blake, who were second and third in 10.08 and 10.13, respectively.

Bednarek also had positive comments about the surface.

“The track is nice,” he said. “I didn’t have the perfect race. I knew I could have run way faster than that, but I’m just happy to get the win.”

USA’s Vernon Norwood was pleased with the aesthetics of the surface.

“It was great,” he said. “It’s green and green is my favourite colour so it’s good. It was nice,” he said.

Grand Slam Track continues this afternoon with the men’s 110m short hurdles at 5:42 pm. There, Jamaica’s former Olympic champion Omar McLeod and his compatriot Orlando Bennett take on France’s Sasha Zhoya, the USA’s Eric Edwards and Daniel Roberts.