- Hudson-Smith won the 200m race, one day after finishing second in the 400m
- The British star picked up the $100,000 prize fund from the inaugural event
Matthew Hudson-Smith became the first athlete to pick up the $100,000 prize pot at Grand Slam Track – but Michael Johnson’s new big-money event has been blighted by sparse crowds.
The British star topped the standings of his long sprints category with 20 points after winning his 200 metres race in Jamaica, a day after finishing second in the 400m.
‘I’m getting to the end of my career so it’s time to start saving,’ said the Olympic 400m silver medallist when asked how he would spend the record prize money.
‘You’re racing the best in the world, so to come back on top, it’s a great feeling.
‘There has been a lot of talk about the Grand Slam, some negative, but being in it exceeded my expectations and it’s amazing to be a part of. I encourage all the athletes out there to try it.’
Another Brit, Zharnel Hughes, took home $50,000 after coming second in his short sprints category, won by American Kenny Bednarek. Hughes finished second in the 200m after a third in the 100m.
Matthew Hudson-Smith became first athlete to pick up the $100,000 prize at Grand Slam Track
The British star topped the standings of his long sprints category at the inaugural event
Dina Asher-Smith finished fifth in her long sprints group – winning $20,000 – after coming last over her unfamiliar 400m distance, despite clocking a personal best of 52.15sec.
The inaugural edition of Grand Slam Track, however, has been marred by near-empty stands at the 35,000-capacity National Stadium in Kingston.
After months of promotion and hype, the opening night on Friday only attracted around 6,000 spectators. As a result, Slam organisers invited all schoolchildren in for free for the second evening of action on Saturday, but the attendance was little better.
Asked by Mail Sport about ticket sales on the eve of the event, Johnson said he was ‘hoping for a full stadium’, but admitted: ‘Are we going to get a full stadium in the first Slam in year one? I’m not sure. The main thing for us is to make sure that people know that we’re here.
‘The excitement is brewing and hopefully they have a great time out there and then we’ll move on to Miami and continue to grow.
‘This is going to be our first year. We know that we’re going to have to continue to grow. There are numerous metrics that we have to look at, but we’re going to be focused on growing from Slam to Slam, and then from season to season.’
The second Slam starts in Miami on May 2, before the final two meetings in Philadelphia and Los Angeles.
