De Grasse concludes Grand Slam Track debut with 4th-place finish in 200m




Canada's Andre De Grasse and Jerome Blake finished sixth and seventh, respectively, in the overall men's short sprints group at the conclusion of Grand Slam Track's three-day meet in Miramar, Fla., on Sunday.

In the 200-metre race, the 29-year-old De Grasse, of Markham, Ont., placed fourth with a season-best time of 20.23, while Blake, 29, of Kelowna, B.C., finished sixth in 20.40 seconds.

Topping the podium was the meet's overall men's short sprint winner Kenny Bednarek of the United States, who clocked in with a world-leading time of 19.84.

Zarnell Hughes of Britain was runner-up after finishing in 20.13 seconds, narrowly fending off Jamaica's Oblique Seville who ran the same time.

WATCH | Bednarek wins Slam title in Miami, De Grasse and Blake miss podium:

American Bednarek victorious in 200m at Grand Slam Track Miami, Canada's De Grasse 4th and Blake 6th

Kenny Bednarek of the United States wins the men's 200-metre race to become the Grand Slam Track Miami short sprints champion. Fellow Canadians Andre De Grasse and Jerome Blake finish 4th, 6th respectively.

On Saturday, Bednarek won the 100 in a time of 9.79 — a race Blake and De Grasse finished seventh and eighth in, respectively.

Bednarek claimed his second men's short sprint Slam title after winning at the inaugural meet in Kingston, Jamaica, in April.

De Grasse and Blake, members of Canada's Olympic gold-medal winning 4x100 team at the Paris Games, were both making their Grand Slam Track debut over the weekend.

De Grasse earned $15,000 US for placing sixth in the final standings, while Blake will take home $12,500 for his seventh-place finish.

Toronto middle-distance runner Lucia Stafford was last in a field of eight in the women's 800 metres a day after placing sixth in the 1,500.

Racing her first outdoor 800 this year, the 26-year-old was positioned at the back of the pack with about 250 metres left in the first of two 400m laps and wasn't able to climb higher.

Stafford's finishing time of two minutes 4.93 seconds was her slowest in the distance since July 28, 2018 when she went 2:05.62 in Belgium.

The two-time Olympian raced three 800s outdoors in 2024 with a season best of 2:00.50 last June 4 at the Royal City inferno Track and Field Festival in Guelph, Ont.

Mary Moraa of Kenya won Sunday's race in 1:59.51 over American Nikki Hiltz (1:59.75) and Ethiopia's Freweyni Hailu (1:59.84), who also beat Hiltz in Saturday's 1,500 to win the short distance title in Florida.

Stafford, who was last in the two-day competition, will take home $10,000 for her performance.

Grand Slam Track is the brainchild of American sprinting great, Michael Johnson. The four-stop tour will also hold events in Philadelphia (May 30-June 1) and Los Angeles (June 27-29).

In Grand Slam Track, athletes race twice in different events during a three-day meet, earning points based on their placing in each race. The runner with the most cumulative points from their two races wins their group and the top prize of $100,000 US.

The total prize pool for the Grand Slam Track events is $12.6 million US.



Source link

Posted: 2025-05-05 07:59:31

Philippines' ex-president Rodrigo Duterte arrested over 'war on drugs,' government says
 



... Read More

Asda axes discount card for millions of customers | UK | News
 



... Read More

Lucky young couple lands gig taking care of uninhabited Irish island
 



... Read More

Warning to anyone with children over popular drink loved by kids
 



... Read More

TV tonight: the final season of Guz Khan’s hit comedy Man Like Mobeen | Television
 



... Read More

Kyren Wilson surrenders World Grand Prix match with John Higgins | Other | Sport
 



... Read More

Most obedient dog breed named — has 'strong will to please' and is 'intelligent'
 



... Read More

Stream TV on Netflix? Check your inbox immediately for alarming new em
 



... Read More