The Grand Slam Track had just one bold mission. To bring life back to the world of track and field, especially when in recent years the Olympics haven’t been stealing the spotlight. The man behind this mission? Track legend Michael Johnson. He wanted a high-stakes, fan-friendly showdown, packed with fierce rivalries. But what didn’t he count on? The drama that followed! His plan to “save track” (but not track and field) has turned heads and raised eyebrows. And among those turned was a gold medalist. But who?

Well, you might know her as the 2024 Paris Long Jump champion, Tara Davis-Woodhall. And she is calling Johnson out, saying the focus seems more on field events than the track itself. And now, another Olympic gold medalist is stepping up with their own opinion, making it clear that shaking up the sport is no walk in the park. Looks like the road to reinvention is a little bumpier than expected!

​Just ahead of the Grand Slam Track’s Miami event, Italian high jumper Gianmarco Tamberi—Olympic gold medalist (Tokyo 2020), World Champion (2023), and European Champion (2024)—voiced his concerns about the league’s exclusion of field events. Responding to Michael Johnson’s April 8 post on X asking, “What can we do over the season to make @GrandSlamTrack better?”

Tamberi commented, “Man… come on… Without jumps, you can’t do better than what you’re already doing. You’re doing great, for real, it’s not your fault… But track and field without the field is just fu**ing boring.“ His remarks highlight a growing sentiment among field athletes who feel sidelined by the league’s current focus.​

The league features four annual “Slams” in cities like Kingston, Miami, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles, focusing exclusively on track disciplines such as sprints, hurdles, and distance races. While the initiative has attracted top-tier athletes and offers substantial prize money, its omission of field events has sparked debate within the athletics community.

As Grand Slam Track moves forward, the big question is whether it’ll evolve to include the full world of track and field—or if it’ll stick to its track-only lane. So far, the exclusion of field events has already struck a nerve, with athletes like Tara Davis-Woodhall speaking out loud and clear.

Tara Davis-Woodhall calls out Michael Johnson again

Remember when Tara Davis-Woodhall lit into Michael Johnson back in January? Well, the fire’s only gotten hotter. The reigning Olympic long jump champion didn’t mince words when Johnson announced his Grand Slam Track League would focus only on track events, leaving field events in the dust. Tara blasted him, saying, “It’s track and field for a reason,” and warned him to stop fabricating things to fit his narrative.

She even called him out for trying to “save” the sport now, after being “long gone” from it, saying, “If you wanted to change the sport, you would have done it a long time ago.” Her husband, Hunter Woodhall, didn’t hold back either—he accused Michael Johnson of being “self-important” and just stirring things up to stay relevant.

“Stop coming back and just saying wild things to get a rise out of people because no one cares. We’re doing just fine,” Hunter said, pointing to the success of recent Olympics as proof that the sport doesn’t need saving. Fast forward to April 4th, when Grand Slam Track officially launched in Kingston, Jamaica—home of sprint legends like Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.

The hype was huge: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Gabby Thomas, Masai Russell, and Cole Hocker were all set to shine. Gabby Thomas even had the honor of kicking off the first race ever for the league. But when the big moment arrived? The 35,000-seat National Stadium was… mostly empty. Fans noticed, and so did Hunter, who posted (then deleted) a sarcastic Instagram story showing colorful lanes and ghost-town stands with the caption, “Thank goodness he’s ‘saving’ track.”

Turns out, saving the track means little if the stands stay as empty as the promises.