Sydney Mclaughlin Makes Major Announcement

^{Apr 7, 2025 | Edition #111}

👋 Hey, Speedsters!

Kingston DELIVERED BIG! Sweeps? Expected. Upsets? Shocking. But the real win? Track money finally reached the right hands. A herdsman turned sprinter. A 9-to-5 worker turned racer. Now? They’re sprinting toward dreams once out of reach.

PS: Before we get into the drama, here’s a shoutout from a reader: “I am amazed at the high quality of content you provide your readers. Keep up the great work!" Well, you fuel us to push harder each day!

📈 Trending News

Sydney Has More to Show: New Distance Loading!

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone puts on a masterclass. Ever. Single. Time. And this time in Kingston, she made sure the world took notes! First, she torched the 400m hurdles on Friday. Then, she strolled into the flat 400m on Sunday like it was a victory lap. Hair bunned. Laser focus. Unlike the hurdles, she wasn’t the reigning Olympic champ here. but did that matter? Nope!

The conditions were unusually windy. A nasty -2.9 headwind kept pulling her on the backstretch. Yet, she had launched out of lane 6 and was already leading the pack by the halfway mark. An easy, breezy (quite literally) 50.32s run and her job was done—bagging all 24 points along with the $100K cheque. Watch the race that made Sydney GST's first Long Hurdles Slam Champion!

And let’s talk about those winning margins—1.77 seconds. 1.83 seconds. In a 400m race, that’s not just winning—that’s obliteration. Dalilah Muhammad was left in the dust. But that’s not nearly as crazy as this👇

"We're definitely going to do the 400, 400m hurdles may be one more time. But right now we're looking at the 100m, 100m hurdles for Phily and maybe the 200m, 400m too,"

Wait, what?!

Sydney’s coming for the sprints. The 100m hurdles—where she last clocked 12.71 in May 2024. The flat 100m—where she went 11.07 back in 2018. Now, she’s stepping back in to test the waters. And honestly? The Grand Slam Track is letting her roam free, and we’re just lucky to have front-row seats. Buckle up, folks. Sydney’s just getting started.

And by the way, she’s not alone. The Kingston Slam featured many MEGA slam champions. Catch a glimpse of all of them in our special segment 4 below!

Watch: Sydney Gets Candid: What’s She Spending the $100K On?

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See what else is trending in the world of track & field - Click here

🌟 Track Stories

This Herd Boy Defeated An Entire Olympic Podium!

Middle-distance running has a new landlord, and his name is Emmanuel Wanyonyi. The 20-year-old Kenyan just walked into the GST, looked the entire Paris 1500m podium in the eye—Josh Kerr, Yared Nuguse, Cole Hocker—and shut the door on all of them. Clocking 3:35.18, he left Nuguse gasping for second. And Hocker? The reigning Olympic champion? He had to settle for third place.

Sunday brought a different test! This time, the 800m Olympic champion came second in his own signature race. Still, 20 points? Good enough for him to snatch that Slam Champion crown and a cool $100,000 jackpot! Watch how he left the 1500m champions high and dry at the GST below! Not bad for a village kid who once heard, “No one from our tribe runs.”

But let’s talk about that journey. The fifth of 11 siblings, Wanyonyi left school at 10 to herd cattle. No fancy gear. No spikes. Just a dream, a dirt road, and a fire inside. He trained in his school uniform—and still dominated nationals. Then came 2021—the World U20 Championships—where his 800m was faster than the Olympic champion that year. That’s when the world took notice.

Now? He just turned the 1500m into his playground, walked away 13 million Kenyan shillings richer, and flipped his life from barely affording a 40-shilling exam fee to standing on the GST podium as a Slam Champion. This isn’t just a win—it’s the moment.

Watch: Wanyonyi Has a Message For 'The' Usain Bolt!

📊 POLL OF THE DAY

Last Poll Result: We asked, “Who Do You Think Will Take Home The $100K Prize At The Grand Slam Track Kingston?”—and the results are in! Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone secured a staggering 73.17% of your votes! Y’all didn’t just vote—you made your voices heard loud and clear in the comments, with one of you calling her a “Once-in-a-lifetime runner at this particular race.” And honestly? We couldn’t agree more!

🏅Beyond the Medals

Walmart to GST: Dylan’s Life-Changing Track Journey!

A year ago, Dylan Beard was clocking in at Walmart, slicing deli meat, and barely making ends meet. His track dreams? Collecting dust. But then came MJ’s Grand Slam Track, and in just 13.29 seconds, the world knew his name.

Day 2. Kingston. Beard smoked the competition in the 110m hurdles, leaving behind Sasha Zhoya and Olympic silver medalist Daniel Roberts. No hype. No handouts. Just straight-up raw talent. Watch his jaw-dropping run here!

Then came Day 3. A plot twist. Zhoya owned the 100m, taking the Grand Slam crown. But Beard? He still put down a solid 10.67s, grabbing second place and $50K. Sure, he missed out on the $100K jackpot, which—by his own words—would’ve been his ticket to finally watching LeBron James live. But guess what? Fifty grand isn’t too shabby either.

Here’s the kicker—he’s still running unsigned. No shoe deal. No corporate backing. Just raw, unfiltered grind. But Walmart’s got his back, tweaking his shifts so he can train. Even Sam’s Club made him a custom race kit! But at 26, with two personal bests this season and a Millrose Games title under his belt, this man deserves more! Now, thanks to GST, he’s officially a name on the global stage. Shoe brands, you watching? Because this man is up next.

Watch: When Walmart Employees Surprised Dylan With a Pre-Olympic Gift!

🏆Major Track Highlights

Presenting: The First Ever Slam Champions!

If you ask us what we did over the weekend, well, we were glued to our screens! 3 Days. 12 Champions. 1 gala event. But, in case you missed all the mind-blowing track action, here's everything The Kingston Leg of the Grand Slam Track had to offer. Day 1. Day 2. And Day 3. 

To sum it all up, here are GST Kingston’s star athletes:

MENS:

WOMEN’s

That’s it for today, folks! We’ll look to knock on your inbox soon with more interesting stories!

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