Latest news with #MichaelJohnson
Telegraph
a day ago
- Sport
- Telegraph
Zharnel Hughes yet to be paid by Michael Johnson's troubled Grand Slam Track league
Britain's fastest man, Zharnel Hughes, has revealed that he is still waiting on prize money from the troubled Grand Slam Track league. The new athletics competition, which Michael Johnson fronted, was cut short after three of the planned four weekends following sparse crowds in meetings in Kingston, Jamaica, Miami and Philadelphia. Hughes, who respectively won $130,000 (£96,000) across those three events, is among a large group of athletes who are understood to be collectively owed millions. Olympic 200m champion Gabby Thomas – who raced in the first three events – commented on a Grand Slam Track social media post earlier this month by saying: 'Pls pay me'. Grand Slam Track have reportedly told agents that they intend to get the prize money for the opener in Jamaica paid by the end of July and the other two fixtures by the end of September. A main draw of the competition was the prize money, with event winners each due to receive $100,000 (£74,000). As well as Hughes, British runners Matthew Hudson-Smith and Josh Kerr had respectively won $220,000 (£163,000) and $162,500 (£120,000) this year in the Grand Slam Track. Although payment for athletics events does often only arrive late in a track season, the sudden end to the Grand Slam Track season has only heightened concerns about the viability of the concept. 'My agent has been in contact with them – so it's not like I'm studying about what's going on with regards to my payment – but I do know I haven't received funds yet,' said Hughes, an Olympic, World and European Championship medallist. 'I think he did mention that the appearance fee funds did come through, but in regards to the actual race money, it hasn't come through as yet. 'I thoroughly enjoyed the competition – it helped me. In regards to the payment, it's almost like a regular season where you run a couple of Diamond League races, you run other races, and you get paid in the latter part of the season. 'I think most people are looking at it as, 'Why are we not getting paid right now?' I'm just looking to see if you get paid by August, September, the time we usually get paid by.' Asked if he would compete next year, the British 100m and 200m record holder added: 'I think a lot of the athletes that participated in it thoroughly enjoyed it ... but obviously, now that the payment has been delayed and they fell short by not having the last Grand Slam, people might be a bit more hesitant. 'It kind of sucked not having it over in Europe. Maybe, if they do go again next season, they can get some races over here in Europe because people love track and field and you won't have to worry about filling up the stadiums.'
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Lord Coe raises concerns around Michael Johnson's Grand Slam Track with athletes still yet to be paid for first meet in April
World Athletics boss Lord Coe has voiced concerns about the conduct of Michael Johnson's Grand Slam Track, with athletes still waiting to be paid prize money months on from the competition. Johnson launched a new track series earlier this year, offering stars record prize pots of $100,000 (£74,200) for winning their category at one of the four scheduled meets. However, Grand Slam Track participants – including Britain's Zharnel Hughes - have still not received cash they were promised from the first event, which was held in the Jamaican capital of Kingston at the start of April. Money is also owed from the meets in the US cities of Miami and Philadelphia. The fourth event, which was planned for Los Angeles last month, was cancelled at late notice. 'This is not a good situation,' admitted World Athletics president Coe, whose governing body were not involved in the launch of Johnson's league and have not spoken to the US legend for 'several months'. 'It's a start-up, but the athletes do need paying. Conduct in our sport is important to us. We are following this closely. I've had conversations with individual athletes, athlete representatives and even meeting directors on this. 'It was in everybody's interest for something like this to be successful. But we were very clear that this had to be done properly and executed properly. For these things to work, they can't be vanity projects. They have to be suffused in practicality and deliverability.' Sources at Grand Slam Track insist athletes will be paid their earnings from Kingston by the end of this month, with cash from the other events following later this year. World Athletics chief executive Jon Ridgeon added: 'Grand Slam Track have asked for a little bit of time. Hopefully, in that time, it will be concluded. 'It just shows you how hard it is to launch new stuff. In any sport, it's really hard.'
Forbes
2 days ago
- Sport
- Forbes
After Winning Big At Grand Slam Track, What Lies Ahead For Kenny Bednarek
PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 08: Silver medalist Kenneth Bednarek of Team United States celebrates after ... More competing in the Men's 200m Final on day thirteen of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on August 08, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by) Kenny Bednarek is not done for the season. Building up his confidence, which has undoubtedly become easier with multiple wins at Michael Johnson's Grand Slam track, Bednarek expects to continue winning and living up to his fans' expectations. 'They expect to see me double. That's pretty much what I've done every single year. But this year, I feel like, in particular, it's going to be even more special. I've been winning a lot of races, and that's been building a lot of confidence. So, winning the trials, I'm just expecting big things. I want to go out there and execute my race and have some fun,' the 26-year-old said to me during a Zoom interview. So far, Bednarek has 'checked out' multiple impressive achievements from his season goal list; one of them was to remain 'undefeated in Grand Slam.' However, Bednarek wants more and aims to continue his streak at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo. 'I want to double this year. I have a personal goal of running 9.7, and I want to run faster than 19.5 this year. I want to come out of Tokyo with three gold medals, being a part of the relay as well. And yeah, I just want to stay undefeated. I think that's one of my main goals: every race that I go in, I just want to compete, execute, and just win. Just have a winning streak.' These expectations are not random for Bednarek. The 26-year-old has been building up a steady momentum over the years, both physically and mentally. At the Tokyo Olympics, he placed second in the 200-meter event, falling short of a win to Andre De Grasse, who secured the first individual gold with a national record. For the next two years, Bednarek didn't manage to secure gold at any global athletics event finals. In Paris, he successfully defended his silver medal. Running a 19.62, he matched Andre De Grasse's time at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Bednarek was faster than before, quietly edging out Noah Lyles, one of the favourites to win the event. However, he still had to settle for second as Letsile Tebogo created history in 19.46. At the Diamond League, Bednarek finally tasted victory. Winning the final leg in Brussels, he managed to surpass Tebogo to become the champion in 19.67. Following this fairly successful season, 'Kung Fu Kenny's' strategy changed. He dissected his previous races to understand what needed to be changed. 'After the Olympics and going into the Diamond League, there are a few things I was trying to work on technique-wise and mentally. I feel like I figured out how to run my race the way I want to and mentally just be in the zone every single time I step on the track. Just going into 2025, it was just focusing on those two things, just executing my race, and mentally just staying in the zone. Because I've always known that in every race that I've run, the difference between me getting first place, second place, or third was just execution, and then mentally if I'm fully tapped in.' Before the start of this season, Bednarek realized the importance of easing up. The tension he had faced while participating in the previous races was no longer there. The Wisconsin-based sprinter achieved the 'flow state' required to run his best. 'Just going into 2025, it's just focusing on those two things and doing all the hard work at practice and trying to just tap into the race. So, that's pretty much what's happened this year. I've consistently been doing what I wanted to do at practice, and then putting on the track and then the race itself has become a lot easier for me. The times have been a lot faster, but I've been doing it the easy way. I feel like the times that I ran in the past, I was usually doing it the hard way because I used to always tense up in my races.' Grand Slam Track Experience TOPSHOT - USA's Kenneth Bednarek reacts after winning the men's 200m short sprint event at the Grand ... More Slam Track competition at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica, on April 5, 2025. (Photo by Ricardo Makyn / AFP) (Photo by RICARDO MAKYN/AFP via Getty Images) Running a good time also became easier with new and improved environments provided to the sprinter. In addition to the $12.6 million prize pot, the debut season of Michael Johnson's start-up track league also gave Bednarek a stage with a 'lot more freedom' and never-before-seen perks. 'I would say the first thing is just getting first-class tickets to every event that we've gone to. That was something that I was pretty new to. So that is something I really enjoyed. But my friends and family also had the freedom to be where I was, where the practice track was, being closer to the infield, and everything else. I guess just all the media coverage was one of the biggest things. With the other leagues, you get a select few people who do the media coverage and all that. But I feel like with the Grand Slam, a lot of people had the opportunity to showcase what their plans were, why they were there, and what they're expected to do at the Grand Slam.' In April, Bednarek won the 100m and 200m races at the Grand Slam Track Kingston, the inaugural edition of the league. Securing a comfortable lead against his opponents, he won the race in 20.07 seconds and was followed by Zharnel Hughes of Britain, who couldn't beat him despite a season best of 20.37 seconds. Bednarek, who wanted to prove the win was not a'fluke,' claimed podium finishes in Miami. He also set an imposing record in the Grand Slam track races. The 26-year-old clinched the gold medal in the 100-meter dash of the last leg of the event in Philadelphia, beating Andre De Grasse and Christian Coleman. Bednarek finished with 9.86 seconds on the clock, tying the world lead and also achieving a new personal best. This run was preceded by a 19.95-second victory in the 200-meter sprint just a day before. 'Everything about the Grand Slam, I really enjoyed. The competition was there. They showcased our personalities, and a lot of the fans got to see the inside of who we are and saw the background of the athlete, from why they got on the track to what motivates them and everything else. Jamaica, I've never really been there before. Hearing that the first race was going to be there, I was quite curious about what to expect. And, you know, I just love the Jamaican vibe and the island vibe in itself. And then going into Miramar, I've been there several times. So, just curious about what they're going to change, like how they're going to do the setup and everything, because that track itself is very fast. But the stadium is not as big as Jamaica. That was pretty good as well. And then going to Philly, I think that's the one that I really enjoyed the most, just because I had no clue why we were going to Philly. I didn't understand that there are a lot of track and field fans up there. I just knew that they had the history of Franklin Field, where they have Penn relays and everything else. And I knew that was going to be a little bit chilly out there. I wasn't sure how many fans were going to be there, just because it's a pretty big stadium. But once I stepped out there, I was like, holy crap, there's like a lot of people there. And I always heard that people were saying the track is weird. So once I stepped on the track the first day, just to actually see what they meant, like the turn of the 200 is so unorthodox. Everything is just a lot longer on the turn. And then the 100 meters straight, it only feels like it's an 80-meter stretch. So going out there, running pretty quick, it was a good feeling. It built a lot of confidence because I guess running 19.95 was a pretty big deal. So it just helped me build a lot of confidence. And then just going undefeated against a stacked field every single race, it just really helped my confidence. That's really great.' Overcoming Injuries And Setbacks Bednarek faced his first injury in 2019. After turning pro and qualifying for the Doha World Championships, he pulled his hamstring. The experience was a scary one for the then 20-year-old Bednarek. But the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics gave Kenny time to heal and make 2020 a recovery year. The following year, Bednarek had his breakout year, claiming an Olympic silver medal. But just after becoming an Olympian in December, he broke his big toe, making Bednarek think his 'career was done.' He was forced to take a two-month hiatus without rehab or running. Yet, he managed to make the U.S. team for the 2022 World Championships and claimed a silver medal in the 200-meter event with a time of 19.77. Following this, Bednarek now knows how to manage injuries. 'I'm just like, okay, I've been here before; here's what we need to do. Recovery is, you know, three to five days, and then onto the next race.' Every year, Bednarek tries to understand his body's needs more and improve accordingly. He has also invested in various technologies to cut back on his injuries. 'I got a red light therapy machine, a PEMF machine, and a sauna. We just bought a cold plunge recently. I'm trying to get an oxygen chamber as well. Those things have really helped me feel better every single day I step on the track, and even when I do have a minor injury or a significant injury, it helps me recover quicker than I usually would if I didn't have those things, like I said before, every single year. I'm just trying to understand the body, why certain things happen, what's on, and what's turned off. When you are always running, every single day, tryna break limits, you're always gonna be redlining. The faster you run, the higher the risk of your injuries. So, I have a good team around me, the people who steered me the right way, I have a nice osteopath that I work with, a massage therapist, a chiropractor, and a nutritionist as well. I mean, there's a lot of work that I do just to kinda not get injured, and if I do, you know how quick I can bounce back from it. Honestly, just doing all these things really helped my confidence because when I do have something.'
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
World Athletics monitoring outstanding Grand Slam Track payments to athletes
Sebastian Coe says World Athletics is closely monitoring outstanding athlete payments from Michael Johnson's Grand Slam Track series, admitting: 'There is no point in pretending this is a satisfactory situation.' Johnson unexpectedly cancelled the final Los Angeles leg of his new four-meeting series last month following low spectator numbers at the opening three editions in Kingston, Miami and Philadelphia. The series announced a total prize fund of $12.6m (£9.3m) at its launch earlier this year, but a number of athletes are understood yet to receive payment. It is not unusual for a time lag between competition and remuneration but, given the abrupt end to the aborted first season, runners are increasingly concerned over individual payments that stretch well into six figures. 'It's not good,' said Lord Coe, the global governing body's president. 'The one thing that World Athletics has always stood strongly behind is the athletes. So yeah, this is not a good situation. It's a startup, but the athletes do need paying.' He added: 'For these things to work, they can't be vanity projects. They have to be suffused in practicality and deliverability. I just want the events that are going to add lustre, that we can find space for, and we will encourage them to at least have the courtesy of spending that kind of time and that kind of effort, both intellectual and resource, in making sure they work.' Grand Slam Track champions at each meet receive $100,000 (£74,000) in addition to substantial appearance fees. Britain's 400m Olympic medallist Matthew Hudson-Smith won the short sprint category in Kingston and Philadelphia, with Josh Kerr triumphing in the short distance category in Miami. While Grand Slam Track declined to comment, it is understood agents have been informed that their athletes will receive payment for the Kingston event by the end of this month, with later meet payments following before the end of September. The Guardian understands that some athletes have received appearance money from the opening meet. Asked if World Athletics has the power to intervene on athletes' behalf, Coe replied: 'Well, let's just watch this space.' Johnson's brainchild has been touted as a direct competitor to World Athletics' Diamond League circuit, which had stood unchallenged as the primary season-long athletics competition since it succeeded the Golden League in 2010. Speaking to the Guardian in April, Johnson denied fears that the $30m of investment in Grand Slam Track could run out before he is able to change the sport. 'We're in this for the long haul,' he said. 'Startups aren't profitable in year one. You know, if anybody comes to you with a startup, saying: 'Hey, we're going to be profitable in year one,' run away as fast as you can. But we will continue to grow.' Coe insists he remains fully supportive of privately funded athletics events. 'It was in everybody's interest for something like this to be successful,' he said. 'We're not the 'computer says no' command-and-control federation. Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion 'From the very moment I became president of World Athletics, I talked about the need to be more creative and partner – don't shy away from forming those relationships. So we were very clear that this had to be done properly and executed properly. Hopefully, [create] an additional attraction in the sport.' Meanwhile, Coe confirmed World Athletics remains committed to introducing DNA tests for all elite female athletes ahead of September's world championships. Coe initially announced the policy in March to 'guarantee the integrity of female women's sport'. It will involve a non-invasive one‑time cheek swab or dry blood test. Tests are due to begin in the coming weeks once the World Athletics Council has confirmed procedural regulations.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
UFC 318 winner Michael Johnson aims high with callout after tying knockdown record
NEW ORLEANS – Michael Johnson is aiming high after tying a UFC record. In the main card opener of UFC 318 at Smoothie King Center, Johnson (24-19 MMA, 16-15 UFC) picked up a unanimous decision victory over Daniel Zellhuber, extending his current winning streak to three. En route to the victory, Johnson scored a knockdown of Zellhuber (15-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC), which joined Melvin Guillard for the most knockdowns in UFC lightweight history with 13. "It feels good, it makes me feel like I'm doing something right," Johnson told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. "It definitely makes me be like, 'Maybe I do hit a little harder than I thought I did.' Or maybe it's the speed, but it's incredible. Me and my team have done such a great job. They haven't given up on me, even at sometimes where I might have almost given up on myself. ... It's great to be at the top of the record books. I'm going to keep climbing and keep getting more records." Although he's had his ups and downs throughout his career, Johnson has recorded some big knockout moments, including a first-round finish of the now-retired Dustin Poirier in 2016. With momentum on his side, Johnson has designs on shooting for the top of the lightweight division, as he wants the BMF champion Max Holloway next. "I want to get in by the end of the year, hopefully soon," Johnson said. "I've been throwing the idea around of me and Max Holloway. He's one of the best fighters that's ever come across the division. I've told everybody from day one in this organization, I want to fight the best of the best. Max Holloway's one of the best. ... That'll be a fun five-round five for me and him to do." This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 318: Michael Johnson wants BMF shot after tying knockdown record
