Grand Slam Track: Olympic gold medallist Thomas among inaugural winners

Thomas, who scooped three gold medals in Paris last year, won the first race of the new athletics event, with the maiden Slam held in Kingston, Jamaica.

The American crossed the line in the women's 200-metre sprint in 22.62 seconds, ahead of Olympic 400m gold medallist Marileidy Paulino and Dina Asher-Smith.

Salwa Eid Naser, a silver medallist in Paris, won the 400m sprint on Saturday in a world-leading 48.67 seconds, with Thomas crossing in second and Paulino in third.

That leaves Thomas in first place in the overall women's long sprints (200m and 400m) category, on 20 points.

"Normally, these early season meets we're just practising and feeling it out," Thomas said after collecting $100,000 in prize money.

"Here, the stakes are high, the prize pot is huge and the level of competition is also really high. That's not something that we're really used to in our sport and I think it's really good.

"I'm not sure I've ever been more tired in my life. I heard them saying on the home stretch '$100K on the line' and it really, really motivated me."

The men's long sprints category is led by Matthew Hudson-Smith, who triumphed in the 200m sprint on Saturday, following on from a second-place finish in the 400m race a day earlier.

Kenny Bednarek claimed 24 points in the men's short sprints, winning both the 100m and 200m, posting times of 10.07 and 20.07. Britain's Zharnel Hughes ranked second after third and second-place finishes, with home hope Oblique Seville rounding out the top three.

The women's category was led by Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, who, like her fellow American Bednarek, won both races to collect maximum points.

ANOTHER 12 POINTS FOR MELISSA AND THAT MAKES HER SLAM CHAMP! pic.twitter.com/eYLz3gNcOo

— Grand Slam Track (@GrandSlamTrack) April 6, 2025

Ethiopia's Diribe Welteji won the women's short distance prize, finishing second in the 800m before topping the 1500m race. Kenya's Emmanuel Wanyonyi set a personal best of 3:35.18 in the men's 1500m, and a second-place finish in the 800m ensured top spot in the male category.

Matters were closer in the men's long distance race group, with Grant Fisher edging out Hagos Gebrhiwet by a point.

American Fisher won the 5,000m and came third in the 3,000m, which was won by Gebrhiwet, who placed fourth in the first race. Ejgayehu Taye doubled up on victories to top the women's charts.

Paris medallists Jasmine Camacho-Quinn and Masai Russell failed to fire in the women's short hurdles category, with Jamaica's Danielle Williams coming out on top with 20 points.

France's Sasha Zhoya won the men's race group, while Alison Dos Santos triumphed emphatically in the long hurdles. His 400m hurdles victory came in a world-leading 47.61.

The final heat on Sunday saw four-time Olympic gold medallist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone complete another sweep. Having won the 400m hurdles on Friday, the 25-year-old cruised to victory in the 400m flat in 50.32 seconds.