Shortly before the press conference with Ingebrigtsen, Josh Kerr, Cole Hocker and Yared Nuguse in Zurich, the news came that all three of the latter will run in the new series in 2025. The American sprint legend Michael Johnson is behind it, and entices with big prize money in the innovation “Grand Slam Track”. The three mentioned athletes will meet on four weekends next season, all times in both 800 and 1500 metres. Those duels go after all sun brands without Ingebrigtsen. – I’m not an 800-meter runner and I probably won’t be able to compete that much. I’ve probably never done that, says Ingebrigtsen to news. – Isn’t it tempting to run the 800 meters just to get the duels in the 1500? – It’s probably a bad solution, grins the 23-year-old. Rodal: – Uninteresting When the Norwegian is not on the participant list, Rodal believes it is a weakness for the product Michael Johnson is trying to sell. – Duels without the best participating are uninteresting. He does not achieve what he wants to achieve without Jacob. – Why do you think they can’t carry this concept on their shoulders? – They are not enough winning types. – What do you put in it? – Without Jakob, you don’t have the profile that both wins races and sets world records. It is the ultimate, to get those who both win and are capable of challenging records. news’s athletics expert is of course well aware that Kerr and Hocker are reigning champions in the WC and Olympics. He still believes that there are other distances that will be more exciting, but adds: – It will be fun. It’s missing a band-aid, but it’s not like I won’t see it. – But maybe not in the middle of the night? – No. It probably won’t be. Because it may be necessary to stay awake for a long time if you want to see it directly. There will probably only be one event in Europe, while three of them will be held on the opposite side of the Atlantic. Grand Slam Track This is what Grand Slam Track is like: Four event weekends with various competitions, all of which are practice runs. It starts in April 2024 and ends during the summer. Only one convention shall be planned in Europe. GST signs 48 performers as permanent participants. All athletes participate in at least two exercises. Currently, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (400 meters and 400 meters hurdles) and Josh Kerr, Cole Hocker and Yared Nuguse are signed (800 meters and 1500 meters). The various categories are short sprint (100 meters and 200 meters), short hurdles (100 meters and 110/100 meter hurdles), long sprint (200 meters and 400 meters), long hurdles (400 meters and 400 meter hurdles), middle distance (800 meters and 1500 meters ) and long distance (3000 meters and 5000 meters). The winner in the middle distance category after all races walks away with $100,000, around NOK 1.2 million. – It piqued my interest immediately. I was triggered when they contacted me and wanted to sign me. I think that running more races and slightly different races, which are not with hares, and are more tactical, will be fun and cool, says Nuguse to news. Positive for several competitions Like Josh Kerr, he highlights the tactical aspect. The Scot refers to the Diamond League as a tempo race, i.e. where high speed is always set up. The world champion from Budapest still believes there will be time for something else: – There is room for both parts in this sport with these duels. This will be my second Diamond League event this year and I’m sure I’ll squeeze in two next year as well. EIGHT STAR MEETINGS SECURED: Josh Kerr, Cole Hocker and Yared Nuguse, who took the medals in the 1500 meters in the Olympics, will meet at least eight times before the WC next season. Photo: MARTIN BERNETTI / AFP Ingebrigtsen thrives at high speed – and almost never loses in the Diamond League. He sees the new event series positively, even if it doesn’t suit him very well. – I obviously think, as mentioned earlier, that this is good for everyone. It engages many people and is fun to watch. The Grand Slam and potentially other concepts help the sport and us athletes to develop and do what we love most. This means more competitions and more opportunities – that’s good. The other option for Ingebrigtsen would have been to run 3000 meters and 5000 meters two days apart. Four times a year. – If it is not changed, I will be surprised. It will be exciting to see. The 1,500 meters in Zurich will be shown on news as part of the Diamond League event, which starts at 20:00 on Thursday evening. Ingebrigtsen, Hocker, Kerr and Nuguse meet there. Published 05.09.2024, at 13.46
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