Olympic 800m champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi caused an upset at Grand Slam Track in Kingston when he beat all three Olympic 1500m medallists in their specialist event on Saturday (April 5).
The Kenyan took a surprise victory in 3:35.18 with Yared Nuguse and Cole Hocker of the United States finishing second and third in 3:35.36 and 3:35.52 respectively as Britain’s Neil Gourley and Josh Kerr were fourth and fifth in 3:35.60 and 3:35.61.
The middle-distance men will race again on Sunday but this time over Wanyonyi’s specialist distance of 800m.
Hocker, the Olympic 1500m champion in Paris last year, led the early stages on Saturday, passing 400m in 59 seconds and 800m in 2:00. It proved too slow to drop Wanyonyi, although fellow 800m runners like Marco Arop began to struggle approaching the bell.
Nuguse led with 200m to go with Kerr on his shoulder followed by Wanyonyi. Hocker, meanwhile, had fallen back through the field but began to rally in the last 200m.
Wanyonyi then struck into the home straight and Nuguse could not match the Kenyan’s kick as Hocker closed fast for third, while Kerr faded and was passed by fellow Scot Gourley in the final strides.
(Grand Slam Track)
Arop finished four seconds behind in sixth as Bryce Hoppel was seventh and Mohamed Attaoui seventh.
Wanyonyi’s 1500m best beforehand was a mere 3:43.19 – set in Nairobi in 2022 – but the 20-year-old ran a short-lived world road mile record of 3:54.6 in Germany 12 months ago, he won gold in the mixed relay at the World Cross Country Championships in 2023 and of course over 800m he has 1:41.11 speed – a two-lap performance that only world record-holder David Rudisha has surpassed.
If Friday marked the first-ever Grand Slam Track competition then Saturday saw the inaugural winners crowned as Matt Hudson-Smith of Britain became the first-ever Grand Slam Track champion as he took the men’s Long Sprints title on Saturday.
Matt Hudson-Smith (Grand Slam Track)
Twenty-four hours after finishing runner-up to Chris Bailey of the United States in the men’s 400m, Hudson-Smith stormed to victory in the 200m in 20.77 into a headwind of -3.3m/sec on Saturday. The Olympic 400m silver medallist ran down Jereem Richards – the only sub-20-second man in the field – to take the $100,000 prize after the previous day’s 400m winner Bailey finished fifth.
In similar fashion, Diribe Welteji of Ethiopia finished runner-up to Nikki Hiltz in the 800m on Friday in the women’s Short Distance section, but on Saturday Welteji won the 1500m decisively in 4:04.51 – and the Slam winner’s prize of $100,000 – as Susan Lokayo Ejore of Kenya was second, Hiltz of the United States third (taking second place in the Slam overall) and Jess Hull of Australia fourth.
Diribe Welteji (Grand Slam Track)
Salwa Eid Naser blew her rivals away in the women’s 400m with a swift 48.67 in the final event of the night. It’s a time that only nine other women have ever beaten as the Bahrain athlete put on a show to win with ease.
Runner-up Gabby Thomas clocked 49.14 but the American took the overall Long Sprints Slam crown and $100,000 after she won the 200m the previous day. In third, Marileidy Paulino clocked 49.35. After finishing third in the 200m on Friday, Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith clocked 52.15 in her weaker event for eighth.
Salwa Eid Naser (centre) (Grand Slam Track)
Kenny Bednarek won the men’s Short Sprints crown with relative ease. The American followed his 100m victory on Friday in 10.07 by taking the 200m on Saturday in 20.07 (0.2) as Britain’s Zharnel Hughes was runner-up in 20.37.
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden of the United States proved an emphatic winner of the 100m in the women’s Short Sprints. The Olympic bronze medallist clocked 11.11 (-0.6) ahead of Jenna Prandini and Jacious Sears as the Americans enjoyed a one-two-three. Britain’s Daryll Neita was fourth in 11.33 but will look to bounce back in the 200m on Sunday.
Dylan Beard (second from right) (Grand Slam Track)
Dylan Beard of the United States won the first event of the Short Hurdles contest with 110m hurdles victory in 13.29 (-0.5). Behind, Sasha Zhoya of France nicked second place in 13.34 ahead of Freddie Crittenden and Daniel Roberts of the United States.
Tia Jones (Grand Slam Track)
Tia Jones drew first blood in the women’s Short Hurdles section as the American won the 100m hurdles in 12.63 (-0.4) from Danielle Williams of Jamaica and Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico. They will meet again over 100m on the final day of the three-day programme on Sunday.
Full results here.
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