Grand Slam Track unveiled the lineup for its second meet of 2025 in Miramar, Florida, with some changes. Bahamian superstar Steven Gardiner replaced Olympic 400m champion Quincy Hall, who had signed with the league back in October.
While the swap maintains the event’s star power—both athletes boast nearly identical personal bests, 43.40 for Hall, 43.48 for Gardiner.
Hall, 26, is at the peak of his career after winning gold in Paris last summer, while Gardiner, 29, brings his own legacy as the 2019 world champion and 2021 Olympic gold medalist. However, Gardiner has struggled with injuries in recent years, missing the last three global finals.
Hall took to Instagram to express gratitude to Grand Slam Track and Gardiner for stepping in but remained vague about his reasons for pulling out.
“I will not be able to compete in Grand Slam this season due to some circumstances, but I see where the league is going, and it’s turning out to be something special,” he wrote.
Injuries sidelined him at Kingston’s Grand Slam, but his agent John Regis said health didn’t influence his latest decision. Hall will open his season this weekend at China’s Keqiao Diamond League, then head to Rome in June.
The real issue lies in Grand Slam Track’s unique format. The schedule would have required Hall to compete in both the 200m and 400m across four meets, a demand that clashed with his current focus. Hall hasn’t raced a competitive 200m since high school in 2016, and with the World Championships in Tokyo later this year, he and his team decided that specializing in the 400m was the smarter move.
“Unfortunately, he’s not able to be part of this event purely and simply because of an issue he had with sprinting, and it made more sense for him to focus on the 400m event, which is what he’s renowned for,” Regis told LetsRun.com.
“At this particular point, all he’s focused on is being the world champion in the 400m later in Tokyo.”
Hall’s withdrawal underscores a broader challenge for Grand Slam Track, founded by sprint legend Michael Johnson. The league’s innovative but demanding structure—requiring athletes to compete in multiple events—may not align with the specialized training regimens of elite runners. Many top athletes, particularly those in Olympic years, prioritize peaking for major championships over frequent, multi-event commitments.
Regis hinted that Hall could reconsider joining Grand Slam Track in the future, calling it “a great event that adds more eyes for our sport.” However, for now, the league must navigate the delicate balance between innovation and the realities of elite track and field scheduling.
Steven Gardiner, despite his own injury setbacks, is a compelling replacement. Unlike Hall, he has a strong 200m pedigree, with a personal best of 19.75 from 2018. However, Gardiner maintains a selective race schedule, competing in only five Diamond League meets since 2019.