Sprint Stats & Analysis
sprintstats.bsky.social
Sprint Stats & Analysis
@sprintstats.bsky.social
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📊 Sprint statistics & analysis | 100m-400m 🔢 Tilastopaja + World Athletics data 📈 Rankings • Splits • Wind-adjusted times
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The lesson for track & field (and all sports):
Flashy promises don't pay bills. Sustainable business models do.
Athletes deserve leagues that honor commitments. Athlos is proving you can grow responsibly AND pay people on time.
Grand Slam Track? A cautionary tale of going too big, too fast.
Masai Russell won 100mH at Athlos. $60K hit her account before she finished celebrating.
GST athletes? Still chasing payments from April. Some got 50% after emergency funding. The rest? TBD.
GST's 2026 season: CANCELLED until debts paid
Athlos 2026: Expanding to full team-based league.
ATHLOS took the opposite approach:
• Started with 1 NYC meet per year
• Women-only competition
• $773K total purse ($60K per winner)
• Secured Cash App partnership BEFORE making promises
• Paid athletes in 3 days (2024), now paying in MINUTES (2025)
GRAND SLAM TRACK launched with massive ambition:
• $12.6M total prize pool ($100K per winner)
• 4 global meets (Kingston, Miami, Philly, LA)
• Mixed gender competition
• Michael Johnson's name behind it
Result? Overspent, lost key investors, LA meet cancelled, $19M in total debt.
The track & field world just witnessed a masterclass in how to (and how NOT to) launch a new league.
Athlos 2025: Athletes paid within MINUTES
Grand Slam Track: Athletes still waiting 4+ months for $11M
Here's what happened and why it matters.
#TrackAndField #Athlos2025 #GrandSlamTrack
After 18 years of dominance, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce has officially retired from sprinting. 275 races. Countless medals. A legacy that transcends the track.
From Waterhouse, Jamaica to the world stage every second counted. 🇯🇲
#ShellyAnnFraserPryce #TrackAndField #JamaicaTrack #Athletics #IAAF
The event hasn't taken place yet. I have high hopes for it. T&F needs something to revive the sport.
What this means for track & field:
✅ Proof of concept: Fans showed up, athletes delivered
✅ Media partnerships secured (CW, NBC/Peacock)
❌ Financial model is unsustainable
❌ Trust severely damaged
Johnson: "No 2026 season until debts paid in full"
#TrackAndField #GST #GrandSlamTrack
October 3, 2025: Emergency bailout
Winners Alliance secures $5-10M emergency financing
Athletes receive ~50% of the owed money
The relief is real. But so is the remaining debt:

$11M still owed to athletes
$8M to vendors
Total outstanding: $19M

#Athletics
July 31 deadline: Missed
$3M scheduled to athletes: Never sent
Athletes put off buying homes, consult lawyers. World Athletics President Sebastian Coe expresses concern.
What launched with fanfare becomes a cautionary tale.
The betrayal that broke everything:
A major investor (later revealed as Todd Boehly's Eldridge Industries) signed a term sheet for 8-figures.
The money never came.
This withdrawal right after Kingston created a "major, major cash flow issue". Yes, the same Todd Boehly of #ChelseaFC
#SportsBusiness
July 2025: The crisis goes public
Debts revealed:

$13M owed to athletes (prizes + appearance fees)
$8M owed to vendors
Total: $21M in obligations

Michael Johnson admits "difficult financial situation" due to "excessive spending".
June 12, 2025: Los Angeles Slam CANCELED
Just 2 weeks before the finale, the plug gets pulled.
Official reasons: Venue issues, "geopolitical climate"
Real reason: The money ran out
Savings: $3M+ in prize money not paid out
#TrackAndField
The numbers were stunning:
Kingston: Sparse crowds
Miami: Sold out success
Philadelphia: 18,000 strong
Fan engagement was growing. The concept was working.
So what went wrong?
#SportsAnalytics
Philadelphia Slam (May 31-June 1, 2025)
📍 Franklin Field
👥 18,000 fans (season-best)
⚡ Format shortened to 2 days
The competition thrived:

11 meet records on day 1
Packed stands energise world-class performances

But behind the scenes? Financial crisis deepening.
Miami Slam (May 2-4, 2025)
📍 Ansin Sports Complex, Florida
👥 SOLD OUT (5,000 capacity)
💰 Another $3M+ in prizes
Johnson celebrates "$800K paid out"—but it's only on paper.
Reality: Both Miami AND Kingston athletes still waiting for their money.
Kingston Slam (April 4-6, 2025)
📍 Independence Park, Jamaica
👥 Poor attendance in 35,000-seat stadium
💰 $3.15M in prizes promised
Red flag #1: Empty seats at the season opener
Red flag #2: Zero prize money paid out at the meet
#GST2025
The innovation: A new meet format
Athletes compete in 2 events per weekend (e.g., 100m + 200m)
Winners earn $100K per meet
Total season purse: $12.6M
For context: This made each Slam richer than most track meets in history.
#TrackAndField
February 2024: The vision launches

$30M+ initial funding (led by Bill Ackman's Winners Alliance)
Promise: Four global "Slams" with unprecedented athlete pay
Goal: Elevate track beyond the 4-year Olympic cycle

The pitch was compelling. The execution? That's another story.
#Athletics
Michael Johnson's Grand Slam Track promised to revolutionize professional track & field with $30M in funding and $12.6M in prize money.
One year later: $19M in debt, a canceled finale, and athletes waiting months for payment.
Here's how ambition collided with reality.
#TrackAndField #GrandSlamTrack
Olympic medals won: 10+
Athletes permanently damaged: Unknown
Salazar's status: Permanently ineligible to coach
The question nobody can answer: How many people at #Nike knew what was happening and did nothing?