After months of whispers, cancellations, and what felt like an avalanche of confusion, Michael Johnson finally stepped forward with clarity. For athletes, fans, and even the most skeptical stakeholders, the collapse of the Grand Slam Track’s LA meet felt like a gut punch. First came the shock of the cancellation. Then, news broke that athletes hadn’t received their promised prize money. And not long after, financial struggle rumors began circulating like wildfire. The leaked news of financial struggles fueled the rumor mill. Was the league collapsing?

Yet amid the noise, Michael Johnson, Olympic legend turned entrepreneur, had kept relatively quiet. So when he finally sat down with Justin Gatlin on Ready Set Go to tell his side of the story, the tension was palpable. Why now? Why the delay? Johnson didn’t dodge. He dove straight in.

“So here’s the situation with raising capital,” Johnson explained candidly. “We raised money. We’re always trying to raise money… on a rolling process. So at any given time… we could have possibly done LA. But even if we still had all of the money, we would’ve had to consider the change that happened.” What change?

That takes us back to April, when the global economy took a sudden nosedive. It wasn’t just Grand Slam Track that felt the tremors. “One of our investors was affected by that. We were affected by that,” Johnson said. That’s when things got complicated. Should they pull the plug? Or wait for the investor to recover and fulfill their commitment? It wasn’t a simple decision. “We have a board. We’re working with them,” Johnson added, noting how they explored accelerating funds from other investors originally slated to join at the end of the season.

So why didn’t he speak up earlier? The process was still fluid. “It might sound like it’s very simple,” he admitted, “but it’s pretty complex… we were raising money back then. We’re still raising now.” It was a rare, vulnerable moment for Johnson, who finally addressed both fans and athletes directly, acknowledging the frustration but asking for understanding.

So with money still being raised and Grand Slam’s vision intact, the question lingers—can Michael Johnson rebuild the trust and bring the meet back stronger next season?

Grand Slam Track’s financial woes

When Michael Johnson, the sprinting legend, launched Grand Slam Track (GST) in 2025, it felt like track and field was finally getting its due. With a $12.6 million prize pool and head-to-head races, GST promised to shake things up, rivaling the Diamond League. But barely three meets in—Kingston, Miami, Philadelphia—the dream hit a wall. The Los Angeles finale? Canceled. Why? A major investor bailed, pulling an eight-figure commitment after a poorly attended Kingston debut. That left GST owing $13 million to athletes, with only Kingston’s appearance fees paid. What happens when the money dries up?

Stars like Gabby Thomas and Grant Fisher are still waiting. Fisher, who won $100,000 in Kingston, said on July 30, “The last update I heard was that by the end of July, they wanted Kingston prize money out. It hasn’t hit my bank account—or anyone else’s.” Thomas, meanwhile, commented on a GST TikTok, practically pleading for her earnings. Can you imagine racing your heart out, only to chase your paycheck?

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Johnson admitted to Front Office Sports, “It created a major cash flow issue for us, put our athletes in a difficult position.” With Johnson being the face of the GST, most of the backlash has fallen on him, even though the process isn’t entirely dependent on the legend. GST promised payments by September’s end, but skepticism lingers. Will they pull through, or is this track’s latest heartbreak?