Grand Slam Track. Arguably one of the best sprinters in American history, Michael Johnson started this track league. Why? To provide money, television, and a reputable platform for track athletes to showcase their talent. But there’s always a dark cloud that follows the league, and every once in a while it rains. This time it’s a date clash. GST is all set to kick off in the land of Usain Bolt, i.e., Kingston, on April 4-6. The Diamond League starts on April 26 in Xiamen, China. When the slam goes to Miami on May 2-4, Diamond League athletes will be racing in Shanghai on May 3. The overlap is an interesting phenomenon to observe, and the words of the Diamond League’s boss make it even more intriguing. What did he say?
The head of the Diamond League, Petr Stastny, told A Mile a Minute that he welcomes GST and encourages competition, but there is no communication between the two leagues. He said, “We don’t approach others, and they don’t approach us.” It’s not like they don’t encourage communication, but they don’t feel it’s their responsibility. Stastny continued, “We feel it could be done, but we don’t feel it’s on us to ask others when to put on their dates.” Diamond League is a pretty senior one if there is ever a hierarchy of these leagues. This will be the 16th edition of it.
The Diamond League head also stressed the league’s good relations with World Athletics. He talked of the concessions they made for the World Outdoor Championships when the sport shifts to Tokyo in September. The championship is to unfold in Tokyo from September 13, 2025, and will go on up to the 21st of the same month as per the new calendar. The league has supported it.
Stastny said, “We support the new calendar. The champions [of the Diamond League] will get a wild card to Tokyo, so it creates a narrative through the season.” The winners of the diamond will go on the road, not taken by others, for the world championships, and this one won’t have any hurdles as such. Who will these lucky ones be? We’ll know once the Diamond League wraps in Zurich on August 27 and 28.
The league has witnessed 13 broken records in the past two seasons. These include the likes of Athing Mu clocking 1:55.04 at the Monaco Diamond League meeting in the 800m and many more. So who are the athletes who are coming to break records this time?
Who is coming to the Wanda Diamond League 2025?
The tagline of WDL is “where champions are made,” and how much truer could it be? The league has been instrumental in making careers of big names like Mondo Duplantis, Noah Lyles (who has been critical of GST), and Femke Bol. Olympic medalists Tara Davis Woodhall, Malaika Mihambo, and Jasmine Moore are confirmed to be in Eugene. World champions Mondo Duplantis and Karsten Warholm will be there in Xiamen and Keqiao, the first two meetings in this year’s series.
Letsile Tebogo, Kishane Thompson, Christian Coleman, and Marcell Jacobs will be there sprinting 100m in Shanghai/Keqiao on May 3. Women’s 100m world champion Sha’Carri Richardson will be lining up at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene on July 5. This will be her 9th Wanda Diamond League meeting. Faith Kipyegon will defend her women’s 1000m title at the season opener in Xiamen, China, on April 26.
Yaroslava Mahuchikh will also be defending her title in the women’s high jump at the second meeting of the season in Keqiao on May 3. Grant Holloway is also going to be racing in the 100m hurdles. With so many big names coming in once again, how good of a competition do you think Grand Slam Track is putting up against the Diamond League? What records do you think are going to be broken this year?
The post “We Don’t Approach”: Diamond League Head Sends Strong Message at Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track Ahead of Fierce Clashes appeared first on EssentiallySports.