‘Stay tuned’- Masai Russell puts Sha’Carri Richardson, Julien Alfred & Co on notice as she eyes new challenge in 2025
After clinching a gold medal in the 100m hurdle in her maiden Olympics campaign, Masai Russell is eying similar success in the 100m.
Fresh off her spectacular triumph at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Masai Russell is setting her sights on a new challenge for the coming year.
The 100m hurdles gold medalist, who dazzled the world with her blazing speed and precision, is now aiming to dominate the flat 100m sprint in 2025.
Masai Russell reflects on Bullis school’s pivotal role in her journey to Olympic glory
Masai Russell reflects on Bullis school’s pivotal role in her journey to Olympic glory
In an a recent training video on her YouTube channel, reflecting on her journey and ambitions, Russell shared her excitement about testing her speed without hurdles.
“I feel so much faster now. I’m really excited to see what I can run in the 100m this year,” she said.
She recalled running 11.5 seconds three years ago, despite lacking technical finesse while still in college.
“I didn’t know how to run then. I just stood up out of my drive phase, and there was nothing left because I hadn’t set it up right.”
With her recent focus on refining her technique, Russell is confident about her prospects in undertaking the new challenge.
“I’ve been practicing keeping my head down and not coming up too soon, which is a habit I have from hurdles.”
“I’m fast, I ran 12.2 seconds with 10 barriers in front of me. I can’t wait to see what I can achieve without them. Stay tuned,” she added with excitement putting the sprinting scene on notice.
Russell’s aspirations align perfectly with her participation in Michael Johnson’s inaugural Grand Slam Track League in 2025.
‘I want to be that person for them’ – Olympic champion Masai Russell reveals ultimate target
‘I want to be that person for them’ – Olympic champion Masai Russell reveals ultimate target
The league, which promises to be a revolutionary addition to the track and field calendar, will feature four high-profile meets across iconic locations. The action kicks off in Kingston, Jamaica, followed by Miami and Philadelphia, before culminating in Los Angeles.
As Russell embarks on this new chapter, fans and fellow athletes alike are eager to see if the reigning hurdles queen can conquer the flat sprint. If her track record is anything to go by, the world can expect yet another electrifying performance from the former Kentucky Track athlete.
There is a particular quirk of athletics that has long puzzled Michael Johnson. Why, in a sport where milliseconds decide medals, must runners attach a piece of paper to their singlet with safety pins to display their name?
‘I have asked around to try to figure out why that is still the case and I have not got a good, solid answer,’ the American legend tells Mail Sport. ‘It’s pretty unbelievable.’
When it came to launching his own revolutionary track league, then, Johnson had a simple two-word starting point. ‘No bibs,’ says the 57-year-old. ‘You’re not going to see paper and safety pins, I can guarantee you that.
‘We’ve got the fastest people in the world. We think that it’s important that they look like the fastest people in the world, as opposed to the antithesis of fast. Some elements of the sport are stuck in the past.’
Grand Slam Track, Johnson believes, is the future. The man with the golden shoes at Atlanta 1996 has never been afraid to break convention to boost his and athletics’ profile. But he thinks he has now come up with a concept to take track to a whole new level – and put it on a par with sports such as tennis and golf.
Johnson’s league will see four three-day events take place between April and June next year, starting in the Jamaican capital, Kingston, before moving to the US cities of Miami, Philadelphia and Los Angeles. Athletes must run both of the two distances in their ‘category’ at each meet, with 48 stars contracted as ‘racers’ to compete on all four weekends, and others to be signed as ‘challengers’ for one or two.
12 category winners at each event will bank £79,000 – more than the £55,000 on offer for gold medallists at the last World Championships.
‘I think it can be huge,’ insists the founder Johnson, a four-time Olympic champion and long-serving BBC pundit. ‘I think the potential of this sport is immense. It’s the greatest Olympic sport. Every four years, it’s the most watched sport – and probably the most watched thing – in the world.
‘It is a sport that everybody understands. It’s perfect for today’s audience. It’s really a series of highlights. Two thirds of our races take place in under a minute and you just keep getting more and more of them.
‘I don’t think track needs saving, but there’s a tremendous opportunity to grow and deliver to fans something that they’ve been complaining about for a very long time – a lack of head-to-head competition outside of the global championships.
‘Half of my team have come from WWE and that is huge. Look at what has happened with UFC and where they are now. Tennis has four Grand Slams every year. Golf has four majors every year. Look at what F1 has done. There is no reason that track can’t be on par with those sports.’
Among those to have signed up to Grand Slam Track as racers are Britain’s Olympic silver medallists Matthew Hudson-Smith and Josh Kerr. American stars Gabby Thomas and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone are two of six individual Paris 2024 gold medallists to have joined.
To Johnson’s frustration, however, there has been more talk about the big names who are currently missing, most notably Noah Lyles. The Olympic 100m champion has refused to sign until a TV deal is secured, saying: ‘If a tree falls in the middle of the woods and nobody is there to see it, did it really fall?’
In response, Johnson says: ‘We will announce our TV deal in January, but we’re going to go ahead and close out our group before then.
One notable absence, however, is Noah Lyles, who is waiting for a TV deal to be secured’Noah’s timing doesn’t work for us and our timing doesn’t work for him. That’s fine. We’ll continue to talk to him about being a challenger and maybe he becomes a racer next year.
‘I know that there’s going to be this over-indexing on Noah and Noah’s great. But I think it does a disservice to all of the great athletes that we do have.
‘We have signed 48 racers and we got another 48 challenges that we’ve got to sign. So we’re going to continue to sign the fastest athletes in the world.’
They include Britain’s Olympic 800m champion, Keely Hodgkinson, who has indicated she intends to compete in one of the meets. Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the Olympic 5,000m gold medallist, is another Johnson expects to become a challenger.
‘We’re excited about the potential of having Keely and many others compete as a challenger,’ says Johnson. ‘Fans from all around the world want to see their favourite athletes compete against the best, and we’re certain Keely absolutely fits as part of that vision.
‘We don’t have Jakob yet but we’re going to get him. I think he’ll be a challenger this year in a couple of our races, and then maybe next year he becomes a racer.’
One complaint of Johnson’s concept is that it does not suit athletes who specialise in one event. To compete in her ‘short distance’ category, Hodgkinson will have to run the unfamiliar 1500m as well as her favoured 800m.
‘I would say there’s some people for whom the structure doesn’t work,’ admits Johnson. ‘But you can’t not build a league if it doesn’t work for three people but it works for everybody else.
‘We had a waiting list of athletes who wanted to join. The athletes have been overjoyed by what we’re offering them. It’s the first time ever they have had an opportunity to be contractually guaranteed a base compensation and a lane in the meets with the biggest prize money that the sport has ever seen.’
Further criticism has been around the omission of field events, which Johnson has said are not TV-friendly due to how long they take to complete. Questions have also been raised about why all four meets are taking place in North America, when the initial plan was to stage two elsewhere.
Johnson insists it was a strategic decision rather than venues turning them down, despite claims to the contrary by UK Athletics regarding the London Stadium.
‘We considered the UK at one point,’ he says. ‘We looked at a lot of different international cities that were interested. But we’ve decided year one doesn’t make sense for us for various reasons.
‘From a broadcast standpoint, we want to focus our energy where we feel like the opportunity to grow the biggest audience is, and the overwhelming majority of athletes we have signed are based here in the US as well.
‘I think we’ll end up in the UK at some point and London’s obviously the first choice. We have the opportunity in the future to rotate some cities and expand beyond just the four as well. But right now we’re really excited to be focused on this North American market.’
Johnson also dismisses the notion that Grand Slam Track is a breakaway league, akin to LIV Golf. Neither does he view it as a rival to World Athletics’ existing Diamond League, even though his Miami meet in May clashes with their Shanghai event.
‘What we’re doing is very different to the Diamond League,’ he adds. ‘It’s a much more exclusive group of athletes that we’re focused on.
‘We want to be great partners with World Athletics. We’re in constant contact with them. As I was setting out to develop this, I listened to (World Athletics president) Seb Coe’s comments over the years. He said repeatedly that we need more innovation in the sport, we need the athletes to be paid more and we need to grow the sport in the US.
‘I listened to that and thought, “Hey, I think I can help with that”. This is going to be hard, there’s no doubt about that. But I’m used to doing hard things.’
Pressure from own fans was instrumental for Julien Alfred’s Olympic glory. The burden of the country weighed heavily on her shoulders but she lived up to the billing.
Paris Olympic 100m champion Julien Alfred upset a quality field in the French capital to win one of the most memorable titles ever seen by St.Lucians.
While she delivered a fatal blow to favorite Sha’Carri Richardson at the Stade de France, part of her inspiration came from the demanding St. Lucians who felt that their star athlete must deliver every time she appeared at a global championship.
Alfred carried the hope of the Caribbean nation single handedly in Paris but she delivered when it mattered most according to the 23-year-old.
“I wasn’t motivated like before. It felt so much pressure whenever I got a chance to race, because now I thought that St Lucians was expecting so much from me. I felt like I had to win every single time. I felt like I couldn’t do it,” she told the BBC.
Racing in the pouring rain, Alfred stormed to the 100m title to create history for Saint Lucia at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Alfred won her nation’s first ever senior global medal in athletics when she gained world indoor 60m gold in Glasgow in March but became her nation’s first Olympic medalist in any sport.
She made sure that maiden medal was a gold one, clinching a clear victory in a national record of 10.72 to beat world champion Sha’Carri Richardson and her US compatriot and training partner Melissa Jefferson.
Alfred – lined up in lane six, with Richardson to her right and Jefferson to her left – got off to a great start. Although Richardson powered through in trademark style, 23-year-old Alfred couldn’t be caught and Richardson settled for silver in 10.87, as Jefferson got bronze in 10.92.
The Olympic 200m silver medalist finished fourth over 200m and fifth over 100m at the 2023 World Championships.
Gabby Thomas has revealed one of her weaknesses that her coach constantly warns her from.
Triple Olympic champion Gabby Thomas has opened up about one of the things she has totally failed to get over despite several warnings from her coach Tonja Buford-Bailey.
Gabby Thomas is a perfectionist and would always be looking to analyse all of her races, bothering her coach with questions after every race.
However, her coach is not a fan of those questions as she insists they might affect how she executes her next races as she will be focusing on making everything better, something that is close to impossible as it is always said that the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.
‘It’s in reach for Shericka’- When Gabby Thomas backed Jamaican sprint queen to break Flo-Jo’s 200m world record
‘It’s in reach for Shericka’- When Gabby Thomas backed Jamaican sprint queen to break Flo-Jo’s 200m world record
She added that being unable to master the drive phase is something she is always glued on, revealing that it is something they are always working to improve in each training.
“I am very type A and into analysing how I run. I’ll talk to my coach about it over and over again. She tells me to try not to get wrapped up into it all the time,” Gabby Thomas said in an interview with Guardian Sport earlier this year.
“Because when you’re overthinking you do start to run slow. But the drive phase, in particular, is something we practise over and over again, meticulously. It’s very, very technical but it sets you up for the entire race.”
The world 200m silver medallist insisted that once she gets it right, she will be able to start thinking about the late Florence Griffith-Joyner’s world record.
Flo Jo set the 200m world record at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, clocking a time of 21.34 seconds to cross the finish line. In the same Olympic Games, she also set the 100m world record of 10.49 seconds.
She disclosed that how an athlete runs the first 100m will determine how the execution of the second part happens and it is very crucial.
‘I took it without thinking’ – Junelle Bromfield regrets her decision as attempt to cook for Noah Lyles runs into headwinds
‘I took it without thinking’ – Junelle Bromfield regrets her decision as attempt to cook for Noah Lyles runs into headwinds
“If I can get that part even stronger, I will be really, really hard to beat. When you look at Flo-Jo’s 200m world record her second 100m is insane, astronomical in fact,” Gabby Thomas said.
“So that’s what you really want to do: your first 100m is setting you up to have an unreal second one.”
Noah Lyles knows he’s fast, just not Usain Bolt fast — at least not yet, anyway.
The Team USA sprinter captured 100m gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics with a personal best time of 9.79 seconds before taking bronze in the 200m in 19.70 seconds while battling COVID-19.
Olympic champion Lyles is one of the fastest men on Earth
Olympic champion Lyles is one of the fastest men on EarthCredit: Getty
The 27-year-old is the undisputed king of the athletics world but even he admits there’s a long way to go to catch Jamaica’s sprint king.
Track icon Bolt is an eight-time Olympic gold medalist and the fastest human in history.
The retired 38-year-old speedster still holds the world records in the 100m (9.58 seconds) and 200m (19.19 seconds), which he set back in 2009.
Lyles was asked about being the fastest man on the planet during a recent episode of his ‘Beyond the Records Podcast’ with special guest Mr Beast.
However, Lyles rejected the crown, insisting it’s Bolt’s until he can eclipse the Jamaican’s record times.
“I’m the world’s fastest man [currently], you get it with the title of being the Olympic champion,” Lyles told the YouTuber. “Technically, the world’s fastest man, and the fastest man alive, is Usain Bolt.”
Asked if he would ever be able to eclipse Bolt’s best times, Lyles replied: “I’m knocking on the door of the 200m [his best is 19.31]. If it was that easy, I’d have done it five years ago.
“I’m the fastest American to ever live, so I have the American record, like Rai [Benjamin, who joined him on the podcast] in the 400m hurdles, which is pretty cool. We’re just constantly getting closer to breaking world records.”
Lyles also believes he has plenty of time to beat Bolt’s times, highlighting the longevity of sprinters these days and the age they tend to peak.
“They used to say it was around 30 [when a sprinter reaches their peak] but with technology now, it’s more like 35,” he explained.
Lyles (center) told YouTuber Mr. Beast (right) Bolt is still technically the fastest person alive
Lyles (center) told YouTuber Mr. Beast (right) Bolt is still technically the fastest person
Bolt stormed to 100m gold at the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games
Bolt stormed to 100m gold at the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympic GamesCredit: Getty Images – Getty
“But then you’ve got people like Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce [who is 38 and still at the top of the sport]. I’ve just reached what they consider peak fitness. So 26 through 31/32 is what they consider to be peak.”
Lyles certainly has time on his side, with an Olympic Games on home soil in 2028 and one in Brisbane in 2032 well within his reach.
The Florida native has been enjoying his newfound celebrity status in the wake of the Paris Games.
He’s been spotted racing popular streamer IShowSpeed and continues to go back and forth with NFL star Tyreek Hill about a prospective footrace.
The explosive Miami Dolphins wide receiver — nicknamed ‘Cheetah’ due to being one of the quickest players in the NFL — claimed he could beat the reigning 100m Olympic champion in a race shortly after the American claimed gold in Paris.
That sparked an intense war of words between the pair that Lyles now suggests could get settled during the NFL’s 2025 Pro Bowl Games on February 2.
Julien Alfred had reached breaking point, but one question changed everything.
“Are you ready to be Olympic champion?” her coach asked.
The 23-year-old had been through so much.
At 12, she had lost her father. At 14, she had left home, on the Caribbean island of St Lucia, to pursue her Olympic dream.
Alfred emerged as a genuine Olympic contender after going close to the world podium last year.
She won the Olympic 100m title at Paris 2024. In September, she had a St Lucia national holiday named after her.
Yet months before she wrote history, Alfred’s Olympic participation was in serious doubt.
“Early this season, I had a breakdown. I told my coach I didn’t want to continue my season, I told my agent to cancel my meets,” Alfred told BBC Sport.
“I didn’t want to continue. I was so hard on myself. I was overweight, I was struggling mentally and feeling like I couldn’t go on.
“My coach took me off the track for a bit, we had a long conversation and we both cried on the phone.
“The last thing he said to me was: ‘Are you ready to be an Olympic champion?’ He believed that I could be one.”
Alfred is coached by Texas-based Edrick Floreal, who also trains Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith and Ireland’s Rhasidat Adeleke.
His belief proved prophetic.
In a frenzied Saturday night atmosphere at the Stade de France, Alfred seized her moment.
With her first global outdoor title, she not only delivered the first Olympic gold in St Lucia’s history but also the island nation’s first Games medal of any colour.
And she had achieved it in the Games’ blue riband event, running the race of her life to beat world champion Sha’Carri Richardson in a national record time of 10.72 seconds.
An outpouring of emotion followed. Alfred had reached the pinnacle of her sport – but her father, who died in 2013, was not there to witness it.
“Oh my God, I cried. I bawled my eyes out,” said Alfred.
“Just seeing how far I’ve come but my dad not being there to see me accomplish it.
“It did hurt me, that he was not with me.”
Julien Alfred was 0.06 seconds behind Jamaican champion Elaine Thompson-Herah in winning Commonwealth Games silver in 2022
Alfred’s passion for athletics was diminished by the loss of her father, Julian, who would take her to training and constantly tell friends about how fast his daughter was.
“I felt like the person who wanted me to get to this point in my career was no longer here. I felt there was no need to continue,” said Alfred.
Convinced to return to the sport after a break, Alfred hinted at the medals to come by winning Commonwealth Youth Games 100m gold in 2017 and Youth Olympic silver one year later.
She achieved her first international senior medal at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022 and, after finishing fourth over 200m and fifth over 100m at the 2023 World Championships, Alfred announced her Olympic credentials by winning world indoor 60m gold in March.
But, rather than inspire confidence that she could land Olympic gold, that success – another first for St Lucia – almost derailed Alfred’s Paris bid.
“I wasn’t motivated like before,” she said. “It felt so much pressure whenever I got a chance to race, because now I thought that St Lucians was expecting so much from me.
“I felt like I had to win every single time. I felt like I couldn’t do it.”
After conversations with her coach and her agent, it was agreed Alfred would prioritise her mental wellbeing and withdraw from competitions.
She admitted there was a point earlier this year where she feared she would not be fit enough to compete at the Games.
But, able to reignite her Olympic ambitions, her form was evident at the London Diamond League in July, where Alfred ran a 200m personal best of 21.86 seconds.
Not only did Alfred make it to Paris, but she departed the French capital as a double sprint medallist, following up her historic 100m triumph with Olympic 200m silver behind American Gabby Thomas three days later.
“It’s been a long journey. You don’t just get here. I left home at 14, moved to Jamaica, then Texas. I have been through a lot of trials and tribulations, a lot of hardships,” Alfred said.
“When you finally cross the line and get gold, the thing you have worked so hard for your entire life, it is such an amazing feeling. I was screaming at the top of my lungs.”
On her return home, Alfred was greeted by the prime minister and the nation’s streets were lined with support as she was escorted around the island in a motorcade, with several days of organised celebrations culminated with ‘Julien Alfred Day’.
Having seen the impact of her successes, she is determined to use her influence to develop the sport in St Lucia while also promoting her country on the global stage as a tourism ambassador.
“It’s such an amazing feeling [to represent St Lucia]. Life has changed in so many different ways,” Alfred said.
“Using what I’ve done on the track to promote my country, that’s life changing.
“But also just seeing how much of an impact I’ve had on so many people’s lives – that, to me, is also life changing.”
The former member of Vybz Kartel’s Portmore Empire has given an account of how the eight-time Olympics champion came to her aid at her hour of need, helping her overcome cancer.
Jamaican musician Gaza Indu, real name Dashia Muir, has revealed how legendary sprinter Usain Bolt came to her aid, helping her with financial resources that enabled her to beat cancer.
Gaza Indu, a former member of Vybz Kartel’s Portmore Empire, was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2014 but had no money to begin her treatment after dancehall star Kartel had been incarcerated.
However, through a friend, she was able to reach Bolt, whom she told her story and she was surprised when the 100m, and 200m record holder came to her assistance.
“I was really sick, you know who I reached out to? And I’m dying for the day I see him. Yesterday I saw the boss (Vybz Kartel) with him and I said how my general is around Bolt and I don’t see Bolt yet. Brother, ah Bolt I reached out to,” she told the Fix Podcast.
‘Shoot first ask questions later’- Kishane Thompson reflects on nature of Jamaican sprint scene
‘Shoot first ask questions later’- Kishane Thompson reflects on nature of Jamaican sprint scene
“I linked one of my friends and said ‘you don’t have a number for Bolt?’ and they said ‘you know, I have a number for his ex-girlfriend. I’m going to reach out to her and ask her if she had a number for him’.
“And I got the number and I messaged him…At two o’clock in the morning, I heard my phone and I got up out of my sleep and when I look at my phone, Bolt replied to me,” she added regarding her big surprise.
“At two o’clock in the morning, me and him started texting. I told him I had cancer, that I found out I had cancer because those times I got right down, right down, skin and bone,” said the Trinity singer.
The singer would be admitted to the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) the same week and it was while she was there that Bolt came through for her in a big way.
“And when I reached out to him and told him I’m back in the hospital and he called me and said ‘which hospital are you at?’ and I told him I’m at KPH but over the Jubilee side and he said ‘which ward are you on?’ and I told him and he said ‘I’m sending someone come to you right now’ and in less than half an hour, the person arrived and I got the money from him and that’s how I got to start my treatment,” Gaza Indu further explained.
“I’m saving him saving me because if I never got that money to do the marking, I don’t know what would have happened.”
‘Just came out of the box’ – Christmas comes early for Junelle Bromfield as she celebrates yet another new purchase
‘Just came out of the box’ – Christmas comes early for Junelle Bromfield as she celebrates yet another new purchase
It is an act of generosity that has endeared the eight-time Olympics champion to the singer, showing another side of him that fans perhaps did not know.
Bolt is a big fan of Vybz Kartel and also a friend of the musician which perhaps helped smoothen the relationship between him and Gaza Indu.
Sha’Carri Richardson neat picks how she uses her platform and voice
American sprint queen Sha’Carri Richardson has opened up about why she prefers to remain silent on certain topic online.
Olympic silver medalist Sha’Carri Richardson has opened up about when and why she chooses to use her voice, emphasizing the importance of purpose, positivity, and staying grounded.
The celebrated sprinter, known for both her prowess on the track and her candid personality, reflected on how she navigates her platform in a world of constant public scrutiny.
‘My coach ensures we stay grounded in that’- Sha’Carri Richardson on embracing authenticity amid criticism
‘My coach ensures we stay grounded in that’- Sha’Carri Richardson on embracing authenticity amid criticism
Richardson explained that she only speaks out when she feels it is for the greater good, when her words can bring about peace, positivity, and genuine understanding.
“I feel like to use my voice only when it is for the greater good. It’s only when I feel compelled by something from my heart and spirit to speak on something that is going to bring more peace and positivity than it would do negative,” Richardson shared.in a recent interview with Essence.
She stressed that her goal is to elevate the world’s understanding of track and field, ensuring it receives attention beyond the Olympics, when most people tune in every four years.
“I would love to continue to use my voice or my essence and the platform I do have to show and to vocalize exactly what track and field is to the world,” she added.
On the flip side, Richardson also acknowledged the moments when she chooses to stay silent, drawing inspiration from a lesson by activist Stacey Abrams.
Quoting Abrams, she said, “If you wouldn’t take advice from them, don’t take critique from them.” For Richardson, this wisdom has helped her manage public commentary and online criticism.
She described how she stays grounded by focusing on those who know her fully, beyond the fleeting snapshots seen online.
“At the end of the day, you have to be in tune. When you’re a star player, you have to be grounded and create your own environment where you someone sees your rawness, ugliness, and beauty on a day-to-day basis,” Richardson said.
Addressing online critics, she acknowledged their presence but chose not to dwell on their opinions.
“People that get online and have so many comments. They put their phones down and see the life they really live,” she remarked.
‘I adore that about myself’- Sha’Carri Richardson reveals one trait she wishes to be remembered for
‘I adore that about myself’- Sha’Carri Richardson reveals one trait she wishes to be remembered for
Instead, Richardson chooses to pour her energy into those closest to her, the people who see her true self every day.
In a confident and defiant tone, she concluded with a message for her detractors, stating, “The people that be online, they’re going to watch no matter what, so watch, baby.”
Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson has expressed her lack of interest in signing with Grand Slam Track (GST), the new, lucrative rival to the Diamond League, according to The Standard. The British athlete plans to focus on running fast times and winning medals in 2025, choosing to forgo the chance to compete for the enormous US$400,000 prize purse awarded for winning all four GST meetings.
Hodgkinson still hopes to participate in the circuit as one of the four Challengers invited to compete. (Signed athletes are referred to as Racers). Michael Johnson, the creator of GST, plans to select these athletes based on their speed and popularity, while aiming to fuel existing rivalries. Challengers have one shot at the US$100,000 prize offered at each Slam, whereas Racers, who are already guaranteed base compensation upon signing, compete for the generous purse four times.
“I think it’s great what [Johnson’s] doing, I just don’t feel like it’s for me next year,” Hodgkinson said. “I guess we’ll see where the league goes after that. But I look forward to hopefully doing one.”
Hodgkinson would be slated to race against her frequent rival, 2023 world champion and 600m world record holder Mary Moraa. She would also face Olympic 1,500m silver medallist Jessica Hull and American mile record holder Nikki Hiltz, who round out the short-distance event roster.
The league requires each athlete to participate in two events at each Slam; falling into the short distance category, Hodgkinson would race the 800m and 1,500m. While the Brit is less familiar with the latter, she would need to race the three-and-three-quarter-lap event four times during GST’s inaugural season.
An obligation to race eight times over four weekends and splitting her focus between two events doesn’t line up with Hodgkinson’s stated 2025 season goals. Although she called her season early due to an injury after winning gold in Paris, Hodgkinson already has her eyes on beating her personal best and earning more gold hardware from next year’s indoor European championships, and indoor and outdoor world championships.
“It takes a special race”
“I do think the 1:53 is possible,” Hodgkinson, who holds a personal best of 1:54.61, told The Standard. “I think we’re so close to getting down there, but obviously it takes a special race. You’ve got to be in perfect shape, perfect conditions, the right race for all that to come together. I will definitely put myself in the best position to do so.”
Other major names missing from the GST roster include Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Noah Lyles and Sha’Carri Richardson. Currently, 43 of 48 athletes have signed with the league as Racers.
Track and field is surely going through an off-season, but the dramas never end, do they? Recently, the sports world was shaken, but not in a good way. Gabby Thomas tried to defend Caitlin Clark after her controversial remarks. Bringing race dynamics into sports the moment she won the 2024 Time Athlete of the Year award. She also became the first-ever WNBA player to secure the accolade, but it was immediately overshadowed by her statements.
What specifically prompted the three-time Olympic champion to stand up for her friend during these difficult times? It was a social media post made by Riley Gaines that caught the attention of many. Where the swimmer was trying to bash the WNBA star. So, Thomas felt the responsibility to rush in and shut her down with a stern message before it escalated further. However, due to her comment, she also got entangled in a whole debate by fans.
Gabby Thomas defending her WNBA friend
Join our 110K+ family of loyal track & field fans and don’t miss out on the stories that that truly matter in the world of athletics.
“No one was asking for Caitlin Clark to position herself as a right-wing hero. All she needed to do was remain neutral. She’s a phenom who inspires countless young girls to play & achieve, so I still have great admiration for her, but she missed the mark on this one,“ Riley Gaines posted on her official X account, followed by Caitlin Clark’s statement following her 2024 Time Athlete of the Year award. The swimmer maintains no personal feud with the WNBA star, but she expressed a desire for her to find a middle ground when discussing the dynamics of race in the sport.
Gaines is known for her criticism of athletes, but this time Gabby Thomas wasn’t going to hold back. “Girl are you fr??? You don’t have to share your opinion on everything, just sit this one out,“ the three-time Olympic gold medalist stated, replying to the X post. It was evident that Thomas wanted the swimmer not to comment on the fiasco, as it would just create more turmoil among the fans. But all of these discussions eventually reached both the track and field and the WNBA communities. And they had different opinions on the whole controversy.
“Caitlin Clark shouldn’t need to apologize for being white,“ one X user who goes by Chris Majchrzak commented, to which Thomas replied, “Agreed. nor should she apologize for acknowledging the poc who came before her and played a significant role in building the league?“ Furthermore, another fan asked a similar question to the Olympian, to which she replied, “First of all she doesn’t ‘have‘ to do anything. The same way she doesn’t ‘have‘ to remain neutral. I didn’t say anything when she was neutral tbh, and I’m not going to criticize her now either but to ignore race dynamics in sport is just….sigh.”
Expand Tweet
Despite shielding her friend from the critics, she expressed her mixed feelings clearly about the situation. Many dynamics could have changed if Clark had used a different set of words to express her emotions. But Gabby Thomas stands by the points the WNBA made in her statement. She also clarified that she had no criticism for her friend. And she had no interest in contributing anything to his controversy. The Olympian did whatever she could to protect her friend from any kind of online hate. But what was the WNBA player’s statement that caused all of this turmoil out there?
Caitlin Clark accepting white privilege
Following a successful rookie season in the WNBA. Caitlin Clark had another accolade to her name, winning the 2024 Time Athlete of the Year. She became the first WNBA athlete to secure this accolade to her name. But she didn’t shy away from conveying her actual feelings when the spotlight was on her. “I want to say I’ve earned every single thing, but as a white person, there is privilege,” said the Indiana Fever’s #22.
Clark acknowledged the privilege that contributed to her rise to fame and wanted to emphasize the impact that black players have in the scene, especially the ones who have established the sport to be one of the most popular ones out there. Apart from stressing about the history of the sport, the 22-year-old also made a candid confession towards the black players in the WNBA, stating, “A lot of those players in the league that have been really good have been Black players. This league has kind of been built on them. The more we can appreciate that, highlight that, talk about that, and then continue to have brands and companies invest in those players that have made this league incredible, I think it’s very important. I have to continue to try to change that. The more we can elevate Black women, that’s going to be a beautiful thing.”
The WNBA star’s message was simple. She didn’t want the whole spotlight to remain on her, but also on the other athletes in the sport. Especially those who are making their own mark and achieving greatness in their own way. Clark’s acknowledgment of her racial advantage was bold of her. But the humbleness she presented by crediting the black players who have made this league the way it is makes the actual difference.
)
