Grand Slam Track is fast and fierce in Florida

The most exciting rivalries to emerge from Miami.

Grand Slam Track set out to create a storytelling platform for some of the most exciting athletes on the planet using combat racing as the hook. The latest edition in Miami witnessed the new format gaining momentum and the emergence of some irresistible rivalries.

Five athletes pulled off the double in their respective Slams with Kenny Bednarek (USA), Alison dos Santos (BRA) and Sydney McLaughlin (USA) maintaining their perfect score cards at the midway point of the league. Athletes from eight different nations returned home $100k richer after winning their Miami Slams. And in the duel between Racers and Challengers, the Racers reigned supreme with 10 Slams to two.

As the Official Track Surface of Grand Slam Track, Rekortan relives six of the best stories to be written at the Sunshine State’s first Slam.

1. Women’s Short Hurdles: Masai Russell x Tia Jones x Ackera Nugent battle for an American Record and a surprising Slam

In a furiously fast race, Masai Russell set a new American Record and the second fastest time ever for the 100m hurdles with Tia Jones (a last-minute Challenger and winner of this race in Kingston) hot on her heels with the third fastest mark of all time. But a plot twist unraveled in the 100m with Jamaican hurdles specialist, Ackera Nugent (who took third place in the 100m hurdles), stealing the flat race in a remarkable 11.09 and with it, the Slam. The upset saw Russell cross the line in fourth place after her lead role the previous day, finishing the Slam in second place. In GST, it’s winning the combination of the two races that really matters which leaves plenty of room for surprise.

2. Men’s Long Sprints: Jereem Richards x Alexander Ogando x Jacory Patterson produce a photo finish and a new rival

The 200m came down to a photo finish between Trinidad and Tobago’s Jereem Richards and Alexander Ogando from the Dominican Republic with Richards winning by a hair. His second place in the 400m was enough to win the Slam, but the most extraordinary story of the day was American Challenger, Jacory Patterson. The part-time UPS worker broke 44 seconds in the 400m with a World Lead time of 43.98. There is a new rival in town and an American star in the making…

“The part-time UPS worker broke 44 seconds in the 400m with a World Lead time of 43.98. There is a new rival in town and an American star in the making…”

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden. © 2025 Grand Slam Track

3. Women’s Short Sprints: Melissa Jefferson-Wooden x Gabby Thomas cement a close Slam and a fierce rivalry

With Gabby Thomas switching to Short Sprints after winning the Long Sprints Slam in Kingston, this story was always going to be juicy. Her clash with Melissa Jefferson-Wooden who took the Short Sprint Slam in Jamaica was fast and fierce with both Racers winning a race each. Jefferson-Wooden’s 10.75 victory in the 100m was just slightly over the wind limit for validation, but alongside a third-place finish in the 200m, secured her the Slam. Thomas took the 200m in the second fastest time of the season (21.95), however, her fourth-place finish in the 100m meant she slipped into second overall. But what a rivalry between the two...

4. Men's Short Distance: Josh Kerr x Marco Arop x Yared Nuguse with the king of comebacks and the closest off all Slams

The return of the 1,500m titans saw Josh Kerr (who only managed 7th in the same race in Kingston) stage a stunning comeback to win the 1,500m in Miami. Fellow Paris Olympic medalists Yared Nuguse and Cole Hocker came second and third respectively. Canada’s Marco Arop took the 800m in emphatic style leading the race from start to finish but Josh Kerr, in fifth place, scored a PB and the Slam. This was the closest of all Slams, with the top four athletes separated by just two points.

5. Men’s Short Sprints: Kenny Bednarek x the clock

Kenny Bednarek wins four out of four Grand Slam Track races, adding the double in Miami to his dominance in Kingston. With the tail wind just above the limit, his 9.79 in the 100m couldn’t be validated but was still stellar in a field that saw six runners go sub-10 seconds. Bednarek’s World Lead in the 200m raised the bar set by Jareem Richards two days before and keeps him in the top spot of Grand Slam Track’s most dominant male athlete table.

“Bednarek’s World Lead in the 200m raised the bar set by Jareem Richards two days before and keeps him in the top spot of Grand Slam Track’s most dominant male athlete table.”

6. Women's Long Distance: a classic Kenya x Ethiopia duel

Kenyan, Agnes Ngetich, won an incredible duel with the young rising star from Ethiopia, Medina Eisa over the 5,000m with a 14:25 World Lead finish. Fellow Ethiopian, Hirut Meshesha, took the 3,000m race in another classic African duel with four athletes battling at the final stretch. Eisa was second over the line and Ngetich took third, all with world-class times in the 8:20 minute range. Ngetich and Ethiopian Challenger, Meshesha, both finish with 18 points, but it is Ngetich who edges the advantage in the tiebreaker. The Miami heat was no contest for these stars.

Trey Cunningham. © 2025 Grand Slam Track

The best rivalries of the rest

Other notable rivalries included the battle between Fisher x Coscoran in the Men’s Long Distance. The pair captured the spirit of Grand Slam Track with Irish Challenger, Coscoran, narrowly beating the American Racer and favorite in a close 3,000m before Fisher took the 5,000m and the Slam.

Challenger, Trey Cunningham (USA), upset the Kingston Slam winner Sasha Zhoya (FRA) in the Men’s Short Hurdles in a Slam where both athletes set PBs in both races and the rising American star became only one of two Challengers to win a Slam in Miami.

In the Women’s Long Sprints, Marileidy Paulino (DOM) and Salwa Eid Naser (BRN) ‘officially’ became a great rivalry. Paulino edged the 400m in the last meters of the race and set a National Record in the 200m to win both races but Naser still holds the World Lead time from Kingston’s even faster finish and claims a strong second place again.

Learn more about Rekortan’s partnership with Grand Slam Track here.

EventsMatt Herivel9 May 2025Grand Slam Track, Trusted & Chosen