Michael Johnson Makes Commitment to Save Track Despite $3M Prize Money Delay

Grand Slam Track founder Michael Johnson reaffirmed his commitment to revitalizing the sport, even after the cancellation of the final day of the 2025 Grand Slam Track when a last-minute investor fell through.

The setback left behind a financial deficit in the form of about $3 million in outstanding unpaid prize money still owed to athletes, but Johnson asserts that is only a short-term hurdle.

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The four-time Olympic gold medalist and eight-time world champion has long been warning about the future of track and field. His most recent words, his candid acknowledgment that he could "save track" but not "track and field" as a whole, created hubbub among fans and athletes.

"I have to keep moving and keep working. And our team will. And we will see, in the end, how this ages.". But as for today, we know where we are. We have a lot of work ahead of us. And that's just the way it is. And we accept it. We completely accept it. But, what we have to do if we do not want this to come to an end, and we completely do. I think our athletes, and I think the majority of our fans, want it to continue," Johnson said in an interview with Justin Gatlin and Rodney Green for the Ready Set Go podcast.

Johnson acknowledged that the backlash against his comments stems from a shared concern about the sport's future.

"And that's one of the things that I always do believe, regardless of whether people like or dislike the way sport must change or not. Perhaps there's another way to change it. But we all know and we all believe the sport must be changed for the better. We may disagree on the way, we may disagree on the format, but we all believe that it must be changed," he added.

Despite the disappointment of this year’s cancellation, Johnson has promised the Grand Slam Track will return in 2026, this time with more stringent measures to ensure investor reliability. His plan is to increase both the visibility and financial stability of track events, aiming to reignite global interest in the sport. “And we’re not gonna stop. We’re not gonna quit,” he declared.

In 2024, Gatlin replied to Johnson's remark on an installment of Ready Set Go.

"I think for Michael, I think it was a strong statement, bro; it was strong.".

"Because today during the change of the guards we are going through with track and field, more unity is better than dissension and the manner in which you speak of it and do what you can do about it, but let's do that first do what you can do about it, you right, and if individuals come tap you on the shoulder and say, well, why you not doing something about, you know, the field events, then okay, perhaps that's what happened; perhaps that's where the statement was said when he was questioned regarding the field portion, but it ruffled a great number of feathers, bro."

Gatlin suggested that Johnson's vast experience on the track may not necessarily encompass field events, and perhaps that's why he is not more explicit in addressing those issues.

However, he believes Johnson's motives are coming from a desire to protect the parts of the sport that he is most used to.