PHILADELPHIA, PA. – Grand Slam Track Philadelphia concluded its event at historic Franklin Field with two consecutive world-leading performances, attended by the largest audience in series history. Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and Kenny Bednarek both achieved personal bests in the 100 meters, ascending to the top of the global rankings and securing their third consecutive Slam Championship titles.
Jefferson-Wooden concluded the event with an impressive finish during the final moments of the sprint. Following a personal best in the 200 meters yesterday, she launched quickly out of the blocks and completed the 100 meters in a wind-legal time of 10.73 seconds, finishing three-tenths of a second ahead of Tamari Davis (11.03 seconds). Her performance ranks her as the tenth-fastest 100-meter performer in history.
“I actually knew before the gun the potential that I had for it to be something special,” said Jefferson-Wooden, who now leads the Racer of the Year standings. “You don’t have time to think about anything else. Just do what you’ve been doing.”
Bednarek was motivated by Jefferson-Wooden’s strong performance as he took to the track shortly thereafter. As the only undefeated athlete across all six Grand Slam events in 2025, Bednarek recovered from an initially slow reaction time to establish a commanding lead 20 meters into the race, ultimately crossing the finish line in 9.86 seconds.
“Grand Slam, I think, is kind of built for me,” said Bednarek, who leads the Men’s Racer of the Year standings. “I really need experience in the 100 meters and Grand Slam gave me the opportunity to do that.”
A historic achievement was recorded in the Women’s Long Hurdles when Jasmine Jones became the first athlete to win a Slam Championship without securing a race victory. Jones, whose debut in the Grand Slam was postponed due to a back injury, finished second in both the 400m hurdles and the 400m, earning her the overall title by a single point ahead of Anna Cockrell and Lina Nielsen, the respective winners of those events.
“I know I was coming into this a little nervous. I wasn’t sure where I was at this season,” said Jones, who was also making her outdoor season debut. “I got a little bit of that fitness and strength back and just in time for this Slam, so getting on here and finally feeling healthy, was a huge confidence boost and a huge win for me.”
Despite the participation of Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Ackera Nugent successfully defended her title, earning her second consecutive Slam Championship in the Women’s Short Hurdles. Nugent won both heats in the event, including a close finish today over McLaughlin-Levrone in the 100-meter race. This marks Nugent’s final Grand Slam appearance of the year, as she will now shift her focus to the Jamaican Championships.
“My personality was able to be shown out there from Grand Slam,” said Nugent, who ran 11.11 today. “I was able to get some practice in and work on all of the things and I think I’ve done that, and it shows in both Slams.”
McLaughlin-Levrone, who specializes in the 400m and 400m hurdles, finished second in the Race Group. This event marked her first time competing in the 100m hurdles this season and her debut in the 100m as a professional athlete. Although it was an uncommon setback for one of the world’s top track and field athletes, McLaughlin-Levrone described the experience as a valuable learning opportunity.
“There’s just so much around the unknown that can make you nervous. Especially with the short hurdles,” said McLaughlin-Levrone, who grew up in nearby New Brunswick, New Jersey. “I think it’s natural but that’s part of the challenge, pushing myself out of my comfort zone to do those kinds of things.”
The Men’s Short Hurdles event has crowned a different champion in each of the three recent Grand Slam competitions. In Philadelphia, Jamal Britt secured the victory and a $100,000 prize. Britt previously finished second in the 100-meter dash behind Trey Cunningham, the Miami Slam Champion, after winning the 110-meter hurdles yesterday.
“100k is a pretty nice contract. It’s like a shoe contract,” said Britt, who is unsponsored. “I got that just from running in the races and it’s more than what I made in my entire life.”
Alison dos Santos’ winning streak concluded today as he finished third in the 400-meter event, which impacted his overall standing in the Men’s Long Hurdles. The Slam Championship was ultimately awarded to Trevor Bassitt, who secured victory in today’s race and placed second in yesterday’s 400-meter hurdles.
“I think I’m one of the best there is any given day, and I think I showed that today,” said Bassitt, the 2022 World bronze medalist. “We all know the top 400 hurdlers are typically Alison, Karsten, [Warholm] and Rai [Benjamin] but I feel like when I’m at my best, if I fully have faith and I run my race, I think I can compete with any of them.”
Following a strong performance in Miami where he finished as the runner-up, Marco Arop achieved a significant victory in the men’s short-distance event. Arop, the fourth fastest 800m runner in history, placed fourth in the 1500m today with a personal best time of 3:35.38. Although he finished nearly one second behind the race winner, Josh Kerr, his additional points, combined with his victory in the 800m yesterday, secured him the overall title.
“You know, it was a long time coming,” said Arop, who led at the bell. “I had the first two not quite figured out, but I think that 1500 is getting closer and closer to where I wanted to be.”
Following an earlier performance in Miami that did not meet expectations, Matthew Hudson-Smith successfully regained the lead in the Men’s Long Sprints. He addressed the challenges of a “sloppy” 200m race today, in which he placed fifth. His victory in the 400m yesterday, combined with today’s results, was sufficient to surpass Alexander Ogando in the Race Group standings.
“The main goal was to finish healthy, and that’s all that mattered,” said Hudson-Smith, who also won the Race Group in Kingston. “I had talked to MJ, and he gave me some [200m] tips, but once I got to the starting line, they went completely out the window, and I went back to my 400-meter rhythm. Still, I came away with the win.”
Marileidy Paulino secured her second consecutive Slam Championship in the Women’s Long Sprints. Demonstrating exceptional performance, Paulino excelled in both yesterday’s 400-meter race and today’s 200-meter event. Today, she completed the 200 meters in 22.46 seconds, narrowly edging out Penn alumna Isabella Whittaker, who finished second in the Race Group.
The Women’s Short Distance Race Group welcomed Diribe Weltejii back to the winner’s circle. Weltejii narrowly edged out Olympic bronze medalist Georgia Hunter Bell in the 800 meters. Her winning time of 1:58.94 established a new Franklin Field facility record.
In his debut at the Grand Slam Track event, Nico Young demonstrated impressive resilience, transforming a gradual beginning into a compelling finish in the 3000 meters. Young executed a strategic final lap of 53 seconds, ultimately crossing the finish line in 8:01.03. He succeeded in overtaking a strong challenge from Sam Gilman (8:01.70), securing both the race victory and the Slam title in the Men’s Long Distance Race Group.
“The track is super fast,” said Young, the NCAA record holder in the 5,000m and 10,000m. “I was in a weird spot with 100 meters to go, but I stayed ahead, and that’s good.”
The Grand Slam Track Philadelphia event transitioned from a three-day format to a two-day format, based on feedback received from athletes and spectators. This adjustment contributed to an energetic atmosphere and the highest ticket sales the series has experienced in its inaugural year.
“We’ve got everything that we could have hoped for out of this weekend, and I think we’re really pleased with just compacting things into two days instead of the three days,” said Grand Slam Track Founder and Commissioner Michael Johnson “We felt like that worked much better. We’re just going to continue to improve. But the team’s very happy with what we got this weekend.”
The final event of the season, during which the Racers of the Year will be recognized, will take place in Los Angeles at UCLA’s Drake Stadium on the final weekend of June.
Photo/GrandSlamTrack
