American superstar Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will feature at Grand Slam Track at the National Stadium this weekend. (Photo: AP)
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Grand Slam Track set to ignite National Stadium starting Friday
Steve Gera, president of Grand Slam Track, which will launch the newest innovation in track and field at the National Stadium starting on Friday, was awestruck with last week’s 115th staging of the ISSA/Grace Kennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships and is hoping to integrate more high school involvement at the three-day event.
Gera, who was attending the championships for the first time and who first heard about the event from his colleagues David Epstein, a former track and field writer with Sports Illustrated, and former Olympic Games and World Championships medallist Michael Johnson, who is part of his team, is hoping to integrate some of what he saw at Champs last week.
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Grand Slam Track had earlier announced plans to invite the top eight athletes from the 100m, 200m and 400m across all classes for boys and girls to compete in what Gera styled as the “Champions League” of Champs, noting that he would love to add a high schools’ relay race, as well, on Sunday.
“I was watching the relays here tonight, and I would honestly love to extend an invitation to all the schools to come back and run the relays again, get some re-matches next Sunday night,” he told the Jamaica Observer. “I think we’re thinking about something like that. We’ll have some more announcements, I think, over the next day or two on that. But I mean, for us, what we want, I want to replicate what I saw here tonight. I just want a little piece of that, next week.”
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Mostly, he was impressed with the “amazing atmosphere” and celebrations he witnessed first-hand on Saturday, “We want the schools’ drummers and school bands at Grand Slam,” he told the Jamaica Observer on Saturday evening as Champs drew to a close.
Gera, who has worked with former UEFA Champions League and many-time Spanish LaLiga champions Barcelona FC, said not even with superstar Lionel Messi playing at Camp Nou had he ever experienced what he witnessed on Saturday.
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“I worked for FC Barcelona for a number of years, so I’ve been to Camp Nou when Messi played, and this atmosphere for Champs is better than what I’ve seen in Camp Nou, even when Messi was playing,” he said. “This is amazing, so I’m just delighted and absolutely honoured to be here for the first time. This is amazing.”
He described Kingston, and Jamaica as a whole, as “the sprint capital of the world”, adding, “Jamaica has never had a Diamond League meet and you deserve a genuine Olympic type meet.” But added that he was under no illusion that his event could compete with Champs.
“Part of the reason why we decided to come here to Kingston for our first event was because Mike [Johnson], who has been to Champs before, he’s seen it, and so he knows how this country supports track, he understands this is the sprint capital to the world. He understands how amazing this country is and this city is, as far as supporting the sport, and that’s just reflected today. Listen, we know that we’re never going to be the best track meet in Kingston. We know we’re going to be the second best track meet in Kingston, but that’s what our goal is.”
Several big names will feature at the meet including American superstar Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Fred Kerley, Kenny Bednarick, Alison Dos Santos, Salwa Eid Naser, Marileidy Paulino as well as Jamaican standouts Roshawn Clarke, Rushell Clayton, Oblique Seville among others.
Grand Slam Track President and Chief Operating Officer Steve Gera and Jamaica’s Minister of Sport Olivia Grange.
