Grand Slam Track has announced four more Challengers that will compete at the league’s first-ever meet from April 4th to 6th at Independence Park in Kingston, Jamaica. Emmanuel Wanyonyi and Bryce Hoppel will line up for the men’s “short distance” races (800m & 1500m) and Jacious Sears women’s “short sprints” (100m & 200m) and Dina Asher-Smith will contest the women’s “long sprints” (200m & 400m) .

As a refresher for how this all works:

At each Slam, and in every event group, four Challengers will compete against GST’s four Racers, who are signed on for all four of the league’s Slams. Challengers are paid an appearance fee and compete for the full prize money. Challenger spots are determined by recent performances, established rivalries, and compelling matchups.

Racers and Challengers will compete twice per Slam, and are slotted into one of six categories: short sprints (100m & 200m), short hurdles (100H/110H & 100m), long sprints (200m & 400m), long hurdles (400H & 400m), short distance (800m & 1500m), or long distance (3000m & 5000m). Final placement is based on combined finishing order, with ties broken by the fastest aggregate time. Prize money is paid out to all eight athletes—each Slam finisher earns between $10,000 for eighth place and $100,000 for the win.

Here’s a scouting report on the Challengers entering the competition in Jamaica:

Emmanuel Wanyonyi (Men’s Short Distance) | 800m PB: 1:41.11, 1500m PB: 3:43.19

At only 20 years old, Wanyonyi has already established himself as one of best middle distance talents in the world. The Kenyan unleashed an assault on the 800m record books last summer, running under 1:42 on four separate occasions and becoming the joint second-fastest man in history with his 1:41.11 clocking at the Lausanne Diamond League. His 1500m PB comes from his lone race at the distance in early 2022, when he was only 17. More reflective of his true potential at the longer distances might be his 3:54.6 road mile from April that was the world record for a few months. With Wanyonyi in the mix, this means the Kingston Slam will feature at least five of the six Olympic medalists from the 800m and 1500m.

Head-to-head records against the Racers:

– 7-5 vs. Marco Arop over 800m; never raced over 1500m

– Wanyonyi has never raced Josh Kerr, Yared Nuguse, or Cole Hocker over 800m or 1500m

Bryce Hoppel (Men’s Short Distance) | 800m PB: 1:41.67, 1500m PB: 3:42.62

2024 was the most successful year of Hoppel’s career, as the 27-year-old ascended to another level on the international racing scene. He won both the indoor and outdoor U.S. titles, the World Indoor title in Glasgow, and earned the dubious distinction of becoming the fastest fourth-place finisher in history in the Olympic final. His only 1500m race since 2021 came last April at the Kansas Relays, where he beat a relatively noncompetitive collegiate field in 3:44.32. With six of the spots on the short distance start line now filled, there’s an even split between 800m and 1500m specialists. Kerr, Nuguse, and Hocker are three of the nine fastest men in 1500m history and Wanyonyi, Hoppel, and Arop are three of the seven fastest ever over 800m.

Head-to-head records against the Racers:

– 5-12 vs. Marco Arop over 800m; never raced over 1500m

– 2-0 vs. Josh Kerr over 800m; never raced over 1500m

– Hoppel has never raced Yared Nuguse or Cole Hocker over 800m or 1500m

Jacious Sears (Women’s Short Sprints) | 100m PB: 10.77, 200m PB: 22.45

Sears’s 2024 season started off red-hot after she ran the second-fastest 100m ever by a collegian in April, but an injury picked up at SEC Championships put her ascent to the international scene on pause. That being said, her professional career has gotten off to about as good a start as could be hoped this indoor season. Sears picked up wins at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix and the Millrose Games before a runner-up finish at U.S. Indoors. Two weeks prior to the Kingston Slam, she’ll make her Team USA debut in Nanjing. It’d be tough to find a bigger stage to dive right into the professional outdoor scene on than the first GST meet ever, but Sears is certainly fast enough to hang with the big dogs.

Head-to-head records against the Racers:

– 0-1 vs. Melissa Jefferson over 100m; never raced over 200m

– 0-2 vs. Brittany Brown over 100m; never raced over 200m

– 0-1 vs. Gabby Thomas over 200m; never raced over 100m

– Sears has never raced Daryll Neita over 100m or 200m

Dina Asher-Smith (Women’s Long Sprints) | 200m PB: 21.88, 400m PB: 52.31

Asher-Smith will effectively be racing in front of a home crowd in Kingston, as Jamaican track fans historically love the Brit, whose father was born in Jamaica. She made a coaching change prior to the 2024 season and responded well, winning her second European title over 100m and finishing fourth in the 200m in Paris. Asher-Smith is the only woman entered in this group at the moment with global medals in the short sprints distances (100m silver in 2019, 200m gold in 2019, and 200m bronze in 2022), and though injuries have historically been a frequent concern for her, Asher-Smith is one of the premier double sprinters on the planet when she’s healthy. This indoor season, she ran an outright 400m personal best of 52.31 at a college meet in Clemson on Feb. 14th.

Head-to-head records against the Racers:

– Never raced Marileidy Paulino

– 1-0 vs. Salwa Eid-Naser over 200m, Never raced over 400m

– Never raced Alexis Holmes

– Never raced Nickisha Pryce

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