Several athletes commented positively on the crowd’s energy and support. British middle-distance runner Georgia Hunter Bell said that the crowds were “really great” and “really, really fun”. American Anna Cockrell found it “so fun running in front of a really, really engaged crowd”, her countryman Kenny Bednarek described the crowd support as “amazing”, and Marileidy Paulino (cover photo) of the Dominican Republic felt “really good” racing in Philadelphia because the city “supports track”.
The event not only saw the largest crowd since the series began but also produced two consecutive world-leading times.
Grand Slam Track Philadelphia featured some key highlights and top athlete performances:
Nico Young of the US described the track at Franklin Field as “super-fast”, and Brazilian Alison dos Santos found the stadium “amazing” with its history.
Top Performances, Achievements in 3rd Grand Slam
Grand Slam Philadelphia saw several athletes deliver top performances, personal bests, and secure significant wins and prize money.
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden of the USA ran a wind-legal 10.73secs in the 100m, a personal best, to rocket to the top of the global leaderboard and win her third consecutive Slam Championship. Her time made her the tenth fastest 100m performer in history. She also ran a personal best in the 200m the day before. Jefferson-Wooden now leads the Women’s Racer of the Year standings.
“I actually knew before the gun the potential that I had for it to be something special,” said Jefferson-Wooden. “You don’t have time to think about anything else. Just do what you’ve been doing.”
American Kenny Bednarek ran 9.86secs in the 100m, a personal best, moments after Jefferson-Wooden’s race. He is the only undefeated athlete across all six races of Grand Slam competition and leads the Men’s Racer of the Year standings. Bednarek won the 200m the day before he ran the 100m.
Jasmine Jones also of the US became the first athlete to win a Slam Championship without winning any race. She finished second in both the women’s 400m hurdles and the flat 400m to take the title by one point. Competing after recovering from a back injury, she felt getting healthy in time for the Slam was a “huge confidence boost and a huge win”.
“I know I was coming into this a little nervous. I wasn’t sure where I was [at] this season,” said Jones, who was also making her outdoor season debut. “I got a little bit of that fitness and strength back and just in time for this Slam.”
Jamaica’s Ackera Nugent secured her second consecutive Slam Championship in the women’s short hurdles. She won both races in the race group, including a win over American 400m hurdles world record hurdles Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone in the 100m. It was Nugent’s final Grand Slam appearance of the year as she will now focus on the Jamaican Championships, which takes place the same weekend as Grand Slam Los Angles.
American Jamal Britt took home the $100,000 prize in the Men’s Short Hurdles, marking him the third different champion in this group in as many Slams. Britt finished second in the 100m after winning the 100m hurdles the previous day. He noted the prize money is “more than what I made in my entire life” and will “help a lot for the future”.
Another US athlete, Trevor Bassitt, won the men’s long hurdles Slam championship. He won the 400m the first day and finished second in the 400m hurdles on the second. Bassitt feels he can compete with the top 400m hurdlers when he is at his best.
Canada’s Marco Arop won the men’s short distance Slam Championship after placing fourth in the 1500m with a new pb time of 3:35.38. This performance, combined with his win in the 800m the day before, gave him enough points to take the title. Arop noted that his 1500m is “getting closer and closer to where I wanted to be”.
Matthew Hudson-Smith of Britain returned to the top of the men’s long sprints, winning the race group despite finishing fifth in the 200m the second day. His victory in the 400m on day one was enough to secure the title.
“The main goal was to finish [healthy], and that’s all that mattered,” said Hudson-Smith, who also won the race group in Kingston. “I had talked to MJ, and he gave me some [200m] tips, but once I got to the starting line, they went completely out the window, and I went back to my 400m rhythm. Still, I came away with the win.”
Dominican Republic’s Marileidy Paulino won her second consecutive Slam Championship in the women’s long sprints, dominating both the 400m on the first day and the 200m on day two. She prefers the 400m first, followed by the 200m, which is how the event was set up.
Ethiopian middle-distance runner Diribe Welteji won the women’s short distance race group, narrowly defeating Georgia Hunter Bell in the 800m with a time of 1:58.94, which set a Franklin Field facility record. In his Grand Slam Track debut, American long-distance runner Nico Young won the men’s long distance race group title by taking the 3000m race with a strong final lap. His winning time was 8:01.03.