Miami, FL. – On the final day of the Grand Slam Track Miami, held at the sold-out Ansin Sports Complex amid approaching storm clouds, several outstanding performances were achieved. Marileidy Paulino set a national record, Kenny Bednarek established the world lead, and Alison dos Santos and Trey Cunningham delivered career-best performances. In addition, four other athletes received recognition for their achievements. Each athlete earned a $100,000 prize for securing the Slam Champion title.
Bednarek commenced quickly and maintained a strong finish to secure victory in the 200m, remaining undefeated through four Grand Slam Track events in this inaugural season. His winning time of 19.84 seconds is the fastest recorded globally this year.
“Running these fast times this early, doing it against this field and running comfortably just says that I am in really good shape,” said Bednarek, who also won the Men’s Short Distance Race Group in Kingston last month. “I can get out of the turn. I can get in the lead in the 100m, so I just gotta make sure to stay relaxed and nobody’s catching me.”
Four Slam Champions Awarded During Sold-Out Night Two at the Grand Slam Track Miami Event
A change in tactics brought Alison dos Santos his second consecutive Grand Slam title. After winning the 400mH on Friday, dos Santos took the lead early in the 400m flat today instead of running from behind like he did in Kingston. The result was a 44.53 personal best, comfortably defeating Chris Robinson.
“I knew that Chris was in good shape and he can finish pretty strong,” said dos Santos, who like Bednarek, is undefeated in Grand Slam Track. “I couldn’t give him any hope, so I just tried to be faster at the beginning and just trust my speed.”
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone remains undefeated through four races this season. Continuing her consistent performance, McLaughlin-Levrone completed the 400 meters in 49.69 seconds, finishing nearly two seconds ahead of Anna Hall. Following her back-to-back victories at the Slam Championships in the Women’s Long Hurdles, McLaughlin-Levrone will now compete in the Women’s Short Hurdles event in Philadelphia.
“I just think sometimes you need to switch it up,” said McLaughlin-Levrone, who has not competed in the 100m since 2018. “The hundred is going to be so good for working on my drive phase. Short hurdles are always great for long hurdles, technically. Can’t go wrong and I just love doing different events.”
Marileidy Paulino set a new national record for the Dominican Republic in the 200m, completing a sweep in the women’s long sprint events. The reigning Olympic gold medalist maintained a strong lead throughout the race and finished in a time of 22.30 seconds, surpassing her previous record set in 2022.
“The national record means everything,” said Paulino. “It’s a hero’s honor.”
The Men’s Short Hurdles Race Group was confidently led by Trey Cunningham, who achieved consecutive personal bests to secure victory in the 110mH on Saturday and the 100m today. Cunningham’s winning time of 10.17 seconds in the 100m represents an improvement of over four-tenths of a second from his previous best. Throughout 2025, Cunningham has maintained an undefeated record in final competitions. He attributed his success to a strong focus on his mental well-being.
“Everyone is out there killing themselves in training. Whether you’re training as a sprinter or a hurdler, it doesn’t matter. We are all killing ourselves to get across that line faster than anybody else,” said Cunningham, the 2022 World silver medalist. “It’s what’s between your ears on race day. If you can just focus on what you need to do, I think success comes.”
In the distance events, Grant Fisher employed a new strategy to successfully defend his title in the Men’s Long Distance Race Group. With four laps remaining in the 5000 meters, Fisher made a decisive move that none of the other competitors responded to. He then slowed down momentarily to celebrate on the homestretch once it became evident he could not be overtaken. Fisher completed three consecutive laps in under 60 seconds, finishing with a time of 13:40.32.
“I need to be able to win in a wide variety of ways,” said Fisher, who lost Friday’s 3000m in a sprint finish. “If someone goes with a lap to go, you’re going to go with them, but four laps? You’ll start thinking a little bit. So, I wanted to squeeze them hard. I got some daylight and kept on the gas.”
There was a notable emphasis on pace over tactics in the women’s 3000m race. Agnes Ngetich set an aggressive early pace in an effort to secure the Slam Championship within the Women’s Long Distance Race Group. Although Ngetich was unable to match the finishing strength of Hirut Meshesha, who won with a time of 8:22.72, she maintained her position to finish third and earn the championship title.
“I had points in the 5000m so I was just preparing for the podium,” said Ngetich, who won Friday night’s 5000m. “I knew 3000m would be tough so I just wanted top three to secure the title.”
Freweyni Hailu achieved a competitive performance to secure the title in the Women’s Short Distance Race Group. Her third-place finish in today’s 800 meters, following her victory in Saturday’s 1500 meters, was sufficient to surpass Nikki Hiltz for the Slam Championship. The race was won by reigning world champion Mary Moraa, who demonstrated resilience by recovering from a last-place finish in the 1500 meters to clock a winning time of 1:59.51 in the 800 meters.
“I’m really happy. I’ve never done back-to-back competition like this,” said Hailu. “ The training has been very difficult. I’m overjoyed with the results.”
The league now moves to Philadelphia’s historic Franklin Field May 30–June 1.
Photo/GrandSlamTrack/X
5 thoughts