Kenny Bednarek's 100m photo finish victory underlines American dominance in Grand Slam Track premiere

Updated 05/04/2025 at 06:09 GMT+1

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Gabby Thomas and Kenny Bednarek set the pace on an adrenaline-fueled curtain-raiser for Grand Slam Track. Americans won seven of the eight races in Jamaica while Matt Hudson-Smith, Dina Asher-Smith and Zharnel Hughes remain in contention for the $100,000 prize in the men's and women's Long Sprints, and men's Short Sprints as the new competition launched with a bang.

Thomas storms to 200m victory as new era of Grand Slam Track begins

Video credit: TNT Sports

Thrilling 100m finale caps dramatic debut for Grand Slam Track

Kenny Bednarek triumphed over home favourite Oblique Seville by the narrowest of margins to cap an action-packed Grand Slam Track premiere in Jamaica as fellow American stars Gabby Thomas and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone also set the pace.

Bednarek didn't have the cleanest getaway in the men's 100m but recovered to hold off Seville while Zharnel Hughes finished third, rounding out a middling evening for the British contingent in Kingston that saw all three compatriots finish on the podium of their respective races behind American victors.

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Thomas blasted the new competition into life by winning the women's Long Sprints 200m in the category ahead of Marileidy Paulino and Dina Asher-Smith, the reigning Olympic champion never looked threatened as she took the maximum 12 points in her competition ahead of the 400m that will bring the curtain down on day two.

With $100,000 on the line for each of the 12 Grand Slam Track category winners, competition was fierce and Chris Bailey provided the first surprise of the evening when he outsprinted Matt Hudson-Smith in the Long Sprints 400m.

Bailey entered the home straight shoulder-to-shoulder with Britain's Olympic silver medalist and eased away in the final quarter while Brazilian Alison dos Santos won the 400m hurdles in similar fashion, closing down Caleb Dean and keeping Roshawn Clarke at arm's length to gain the upper hand in the men's Long Hurdles.

Superstar Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone continued her dominance in the 400m hurdles - and America's stranglehold on the evening - but with a flat 400m to come she is still vulnerable in the women's Long Hurdles despite winning by two seconds as the margin of victory doesn't impact the points awarded to first and second place.

The two Long Distance events produced starkly different races as the men's 5000m was a tardy but tactical affair in sharp contrast to the lightning-quick women's 3000m.

Hagos Gebrhiwet finally stirred the dawdling pack into life after 4600 metres raced at 70-75 second laps, initially opening a gap to the rest of the seven-man field before Grant Fisher outsprinted Gebrhiwet, Cooper Teare and the impressive Dylan Jacobs for victory.

An hour earlier, Agnes Ngetich had set a punishing 3000m pace to break the field down to just two rival Ethiopians, Tsige Gebreselama and Ejgayehu Taye. However, she could not respond to Taye's dig on the back straight of the final lap and had to settle for second.

And with Keely Hodgkinson absent in the women's 800m, Nikki Hiltz took full advantage with her stronger event still to come, while Paris bronze-medallist Mary Moraa surprisingly finished last.

WATCH: Bednarek trumps Seville in men's 100m

'Kung Fu Kenny' rounded out the action in impressive style on day one.

Bednarek wins men's 100m in photo finish ahead of Seville and Hughes on Grand Slam Track day one

Video credit: TNT Sports

Leaders in the clubhouse

And as we look ahead to day two, here's the eight runners who took the maximum 12 points with victory tonight in the first of their two events. A reminder that points are awarded 12-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 to the top eight...

Women’s Long Sprints - Gabby Thomas

Men’s Long Sprints - Chris Bailey

Women’s Long Distance - Ejgayehu Taye

Women’s Short Distance - Nikki Hiltz

Men’s Long Hurdles - Alison dos Santos

Women’s Long Hurdles - Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone

Men’s Long Distance - Grant Fisher

Men's Short Sprints - Kenny Bednarek

That's it for the live action

Eight races down, 16 to go in Kingston so be sure to tune in on Saturday for our next installment! The Short Hurdles competitions get underway and we'll also see our first recipients of the $100,000 prizes on offer for the victors in each category as the Long Hurdles and the Long Distance wrap up.

Josh Kerr and Daryll Neita will also be in action after sitting out tonight, that will be live on TNT Sports 3 and discovery+ at 23:30 UK time once again!

Bednarek takes thrilling finale

A misstep in the acceleration phase wasn't enough to deny the American, while Zharnel Hughes finishes third ahead of Ackeem Blake by the narrowest of margins. Fred Kerley was nowhere in a disappointing performance.

1. Bednarek - 10.07, 2. Seville - 10.08, 3. Hughes 10.13, 4. Blake - 10:13, 5. Lindsey - 10.25, 6. Jones - 10.26, 7. Kerley - 10.30, 8. Fahnbulleh - 10.39.

PHOTO FINISH!

Bednarek got out of the blocks well, then was hunted down all the way by Seville! Who took the win?

Men's 100m rounds out thrilling evening

The blue-riband finale is possibly the most unpredictable race of the evening - Britain's Zharnel Hughes is up against Olympic bronze medalist Fred Kerley plus fellow Paris finalists Kenny Bednarek and home favourite Oblique Seville.

All eight runners have PBs under 10 seconds, Hughes' time of 9.83 seconds is bested only by Kerley and Seville.

Slow-burning 5000m explodes on final lap

We were down to 75-second laps for much of the 5000m as Telahun Haile Bekele set the pace (or lack of it) unchallenged until Thierry Ndikumwenayo nudged onto his shoulder with three laps to go.

Hagos Gebrhiwet caught the field by surprise when he surged to the front to take the bell, but couldn't hold on as the American trio reeled him in and Grant Fisher beat Cooper Teare and Dylan Jacobs in the final sprint.

1. Fisher - 14:39.14, 2. Teare - 14:39.31, 3. Jacobs - 14:39.56, 4. Gebrhiwet - 14:40.20, 5. Kwemoi - 14:40.64, 6. Ndikumwenayo - 14:41.23, 7. Bekele - 14:42.20, 8. Philibert-Thiboutot - 14:44.30.

5000m begins at a snail's pace

That's easy to say when you're sat in a hoodie watching of course! But it's been a lazy start to the Men's 5000m, with the first third of the race taking around five minutes.

Men's 5000m up next

With just the longest and shortest events of the evening to go, the athletes are out for the Men's 5000m! Paris Olympic silver and bronze medalists Ronald Kwemoi and Grant Fisher headline the field.

McLaughlin-Levrone lives up to the billing

Well that was easy! Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was the clear forerunner by halfway down the back straight and hit the front at the top of the bend from lane five. She doesn't quite set the fastest time ever on Jamaican soil though, and behind was a determined performance from Dalilah Muhammed to finish second ahead of Rushell Clayton.

1. McLaughlin-Levrone - 52.76, 2. Muhammed - 54.79, 3. Clayton - 55.02, 4. Knight - 55.06, 5. Peeters - 55.85, 6. Salmon - 55.89, 7. Tate - 56.65.

Superstar Sydney up next

So who will finish in the six places behind Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone in the Women's 400m Hurdles? The Olympic champion and world record holder is the heavy favourite to take the $100,000 category winner's prize this weekend.

WATCH: Taye takes unpredictable Women's 3000m

Agnes Ngetich appeared in the driving seat but couldn't match the Ethiopian on the final lap.

Patience pays off for Dos Santos

Caleb Dean flew out of the blocks on the outside but Dos Santos bided his time, and glided into an unassailable lead around the final bend.

The Brazilian celebrated by looking ahead to the cash price he'll celebrate if he can back this performance up in the flat 400m, Roshawn Clarke grew stronger and stronger to pick up second and Dean held on to complete the podium after Assinie Wilson hit the deck on the third-to-last hurdle.

1. Dos Santos - 47.61, 2. Clarke - 48.20, 3. Dean - 48.58, 4. James-King - 48.69, 5. Allen - 48.71, 6. Robinson - 49.21, 7. Wilson - 53.24, 8. Ducos - 54.73.

Runners out for Men's 400m Hurdles

Jamaica-based Brazilian Alison dos Santos and home favourite Roshawn Clarke get the biggest cheers ahead of the first hurdles race in Grand Slam Track! Don't forget you can tune in on TNT Sports 3 and discovery+ as we enter the second half of the evening...

Hiltz wins helter-skelter 800m

Heather MacLean took the initiative on the opening lap while Hull was last to take the bell but the final lap was all about Diribe Welteji and Nikki Hiltz.

Hiltz dropped the hammer down the back straight and only Welteji could handle the pace - she inched closer all down the home straight yet couldn't quite pass the American, while Hull pulled through into third!

The big shock was Mary Moraa only picking up a single point while 1500m specialist Hiltz has put herself in the perfect position to take home the $100,000 prize on offer to the winner in each event.

1. Hiltz - 1:58.23, 2. Welteji - 1:58.29, 3. Hull - 1:58.58, 4. Hurta-Klecker - 1:59.26, 5. Ejore - 1:59.26, 6. Goule-Toppin 1:59.78, 7. MacLean - 2:00.71, 8. Moraa - 2:00.97.

Hull just wants to have fun in Women's 800m

Jess Hull spoke to TNT Sports' Radzi Chinyanganya as she prepared for our next event - the women's 800m in Short Distance. She's up against a strong field including Mary Moraa but that didn't seem to phase the Australian:

I'm excited, it's great to be here, let's have some fun."

WATCH: Thomas kicks off Grand Slam Track with a bang

The first race certainly delivered on the hype in Kingston!

Thomas storms to 200m victory as new era of Grand Slam Track begins

Video credit: TNT Sports

Taye kicks clear with 200 metres to go

Gebreselama couldn't hold the pace and trails home in third, but this was all about Ethiopia v Kenya yet again. Ejgayehu Taye sat in third for most of the race but moved past Agnes Ngetich at the start of the final bend, opening up a comfortable lead entering the final 100 metres.

While she seemed to tire as the finish line approached, the damage had been done and Taye held on to take victory.

1. Taye - 8:28.42, 2. Ngetich - 8:28.75, 3. Gebreselama 8:38.15, 4. Lobun - 8:42.51, 5. Morgan - 8:43.35, 6. Cranny - 8:44.03, 7. Tanaka - 8:49.10, 8. Infeld 8:56.66.

Agnes leads the field at halfway

Ethiopians Gebreselama and Ejgayehu Taye have joined the leader as the field fractures around the 1500m mark.

Runners emerge for Women's 3000m

It's the first Long Distance event of Grand Slam Track. Elise Cranny, Tsige Gebreselama, Agnes Ngetich and Nozomi Tanaka lead the pack as the Racers, the depleted field means it's anyone's guess how this will play out.

Bailey excited for 200m after early triumph

Speaking to TNT Sports after his victory in the first men's race of Grand Slam Track, Bailey said he's excited to return to the 200m tomorrow and confirmed he left it late to streak away from the field tonight...

It felt really great, once Matthew got inside of me I knew I had to go!"

Bailey denies Hudson-Smith!

The world indoor champion strikes in impressive fashion! Busang Collen Kebinatshipi got out quickly in lane eight but everything seemed to be going to plan for Hudson-Smith in the first half.

Entering the home straight it was all about Christopher Bailey though, the American breaking off Hudson-Smith's shoulder as Vernon Norwood also finished strongly to take third.

1. Bailey - 44.34, 2. Hudson-Smith - 44.65, 3. Norwood - 44.70, 4. Barnes - 45.11, 5. Kebinatshipi - 45.15, 6. Samukonga - 45.27, 7. Richards - 45.35, 8. Watkin - 45.45.

Men's 400m up next

Wolverhampton's finest Matt Hudson-Smith is up next, he came so close to gold in Paris and will face the bronze-medallist from that race, Muzala Samukonga of Zambia, up next.

Out of the Challengers, America's Chris Bailey is certainly one to watch from lane seven, just outside Hudson-Smith.

Gabby Thomas wins the inaugural race!

The Olympic 200m champion did her thing! Gabby Thomas blasted away from the field and wins by 0.31 seconds ahead of the Dominican Republic's Marileidy Paulino with Dina Asher-Smith in third.

With the points awarded 12-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 for the top eight, here's how they finished:

1. Thomas - 22.62, 2. Paulino - 22.93, 3. Asher-Smith - 22.96, 4. Naser - 22.99, 5. Diggs - 23.30, 6. Holmes - 23.33, 7. Williams - 23.35, 8. Pryce - 23.75.

First up...

Dina Asher-Smith was agonisingly close to a 200m medal at the Paris Olympics and competes in the Long Sprints tonight - combining the 400m with her favoured distance rather than 100m, she'll be taking centre stage soon as a Challenger against a Racer list led by Gabby Thomas...

'I’ve definitely had a journey this week' - Asher-Smith reflects on 'really special' Games

Video credit: TNT Sports

TNT Sports is live!

And you can catch all the build-up from Jamaica RIGHT NOW on TNT Sports and discovery+! It's just 12 minutes until the first race...

TNT Sports is available across all major TV platforms, offering a line-up of up to four TV channels (TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports 2, TNT Sports 3, TNT Sports 4), and up to six digital or red-button channels (TNT Sports 5 to 10), and TNT Sports Ultimate plus TNT Sports Box Office HD.

You can subscribe to TNT Sports through discovery+, BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.

Head to head

Keep your eyes peeled for two of these battles to play out tonight...

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Tonight's offering

And here's the high-octane octet we have to kick off three days of thrilling athletics in the Caribbean (all UK time):

23:42 Women’s 200m (Long Sprints)

23:54 Men’s 400m (Long Sprints)

00:04 Women’s 3000m (Long Distance)

00:21 Women’s 800m (Short Distance)

00:34 Men’s 400m Hurdles (Long Hurdles)

00:46 Women’s 400m Hurdles (Long Hurdles)

00:56 Men’s 5000m (Long Distance)

01:21 Men’s 100m (Short Sprints)

Hello and welcome!

What do you get when you put together a plethora of Paris Olympic athletics medalists, three British stars and eight adrenaline-filled races?

Tonight's Grand Slam Track premiere, of course! The new competition gets underway tonight in thrilling fashion with Matt Hudson-Smith, Dina Asher-Smith and Zharnel Hughes joining international pacesetters including Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Gabby Thomas.

TNT Sports 3 and discovery+ will be live from Kingston, Jamaica at 23:30 UK time with the first race getting underway just 12 minutes after that so be sure to tune in!

What is the format of Grand Slam Track?

Each Slam consists of six event categories for both males and females, which all include two disciplines that take place over the weekend.

Each category includes eight competitors, with four of those being contracted 'Grand Slam Racers' and will be joined by four Grand Slam Challengers in each race.

The event categories are as follows:

Short Sprints: 100m & 200m
Short Hurdles: 100m(F) / 110m(M) Hurdles & 100m Flat
Long Sprints: 200m & 400m
Long Hurdles: 400m Hurdles & 400m Flat
Short Distance: 800m & 1,500m
Long Distance: 3,000m & 5,000m

All athletes compete in both events of their chosen discipline, meaning that a short distance runner will run in both the 100m and 200m.

Points will be scored across both events that are added together, and are awarded as follows: 12-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 for 1st to 8th place.

These points are used to generate the final standings, and any ties will be settled by whoever has the fastest combined running time.

These points do not carry over to the next Slam, but there will be a 'Racer of the Year' award in each race group for the competitor with the best cumulative score.