Grand Slam reveals when Emmanuel Wanyonyi will receive Ksh12.9 million prize money
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Reading Time: 2min | Fri. 04.07.25. | 21:41
Ordinarily, prize money is held until drug test results are cleared, but appearance fees are expected much earlier
Olympic 800m gold medallist Emmanuel Wanyonyi is among a host of world-class athletes still waiting to receive their prize money from the inaugural Grand Slam Track (GST) series, months after the event’s first leg.
Wanyonyi, who dazzled in Kingston, Jamaica, in April by winning the 1,500m in 3:35.18 and finishing second in the 800m behind Canadian rival Marco Arop, accumulated 20 points to top the men's short distance leaderboard.
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The feat earned him a hefty $100,000 (approximately Ksh12.9 million) in prize money, funds that remain unpaid to date.
The middle-distance star is not alone.
American Olympic champion Gabby Thomas and 400m hurdles world record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone are also among those still owed both appearance fees and prize money from the series.
The delay stems from financial setbacks within the GST organisation.
Last month, four-time Olympic champion Michael Johnson, the visionary behind the Grand Slam Track, cancelled the final leg of the series in Los Angeles due to what he termed “economic challenges.”
An emergency meeting was held with athletes to break the news, further fueling concerns around payments for previous events in Kingston, Miami, and Philadelphia.
Ordinarily, prize money is held until drug test results are cleared, but appearance fees are expected much earlier.
For comparison, Diamond League athletes typically receive their dues within two to three weeks.
But GST’s delay has gone well beyond that window.
With growing frustration among athletes and their agents, the Association of Athletics Managers stepped in, engaging Johnson via Zoom last week to seek clarity.
However, he reportedly could not confirm specific payment dates.
In a bid to calm nerves, GST executive Kyle Merber on Tuesday emailed athlete representatives to announce a tentative payment schedule.
“We plan to make payments for Kingston prize money before the end of July and the remaining payments due by the end of September, which includes the honouring of Los Angeles appearance fees,” the statement read.
Still, with reports of staff layoffs at GST and continued vagueness in communication, many remain sceptical.
“It is still a bit vague. If they have the money, why can’t they pay it now? For some of these athletes, we are talking a lot of money, hundreds of thousands of pounds. We just hope it comes through as promised, eventually,” one top agent was quoted by The Times.
