Miami’s Turn: Big Names, Bigger Questions at Grand Slam Track Weekend

Miami’s Turn: Big Names, Bigger Questions at Grand Slam Track Weekend

The second stop of the 2025 Grand Slam Track series lands in Miramar, Florida, this weekend, and if Kingston was any indication, expect fireworks. From Friday to Sunday, a mix of Olympic medalists, world champions, and rising challengers will take the track, each with their sights on the $100,000 group titles and, perhaps more importantly, bragging rights in this new, cash-rich circuit.

Gabby Thomas and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden will headline the most anticipated showdown of the meet in the women’s 100/200 group. Both were victorious in their event categories in Kingston, but only one can walk away with the crown in Miami. Jefferson-Wooden swept the short sprints in Jamaica, beating a solid field in both the 100 and 200. Thomas, on the other hand, dominated the 200/400 and enters the weekend fresh off an 11.02 win in Austin. The 200 meters, set for Saturday evening, could be the race of the weekend. Add in Olympic bronze medalist Brittany Brown, who is dangerous across both sprints, and you have a potent trio with little room for error.

Thomas should be favored as her range is unmatched. But Jefferson-Wooden’s sharp form and Brown’s ability to pounce if either stumbles make this one hard to call. Brown doesn’t just want to hang around, she wants to prove she can win a big one.

If the sprints are about showdowns, the men’s 800/1500m is about settling scores.

The Kingston 1500 was a brawl, and Olympic 800m champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi stole the spotlight by beating the entire Olympic 1500 podium. He’s skipping Miami, but Cole Hocker, Josh Kerr, and Yared Nuguse are back. If they were the only three in the race, it would be enough to draw a crowd. But they’ll be joined by World 800m champion Marco Arop and a fresh cast of challengers, including Kenya’s Timothy Cheruiyot and Australia’s Peter Bol.

Kerr is the question mark. He looked sharp in the Kingston 1500 but was way off in the 800, failing to break 1:50. That’s unlike him. He missed time earlier in the season with a hip injury, and we’ll find out this weekend if the rust is gone. Hocker, meanwhile, came close in Kingston, but mistimed his positioning and couldn’t close despite having the fastest final 200. He’ll want that one back.

The…