“God is great all the time. It means a lot to me. I’ve been working hard, praying harder. It’s a blessing. I’m in shape. I’ve been in shape. I’ve been working hard, praying harder, and you know, it’s a blessing to come out here and win my first Grand Slam. I hope to take this momentum to the next two,” said the 31-year-old track and field star as he topped the charts in the Miami Grand Slam Track. While the Trinidad and Tobago athlete did not have a great run in Kingston, his performance in Miami not only got him a hundred thousand dollars but also compelled his inspirational country legend to send a warning to others. What happened?

In an interview posted by Grand Slam Track on Twitter on May 7, 2025, Ato Boldon, the Trinidadian legend, held the mic. Talking of his countryman, Jereem Richards, who has had a phenomenal run in Grand Slam Track, he said, “Jereme has made no secret of the fact that he grew up kind of looking at what I had done and trying to emulate it. That’s a great feeling to feel like, look, I’m not running anytime soon, so to know that somebody was inspired by me is fantastic.” If you were to thank people for Richards’ in the Track and field inspiration, Boldon is one of them.

While looking at the Olympic games on TV, Richards saw Boldon, one of T&T’s most successful sprinters, and used to tell his parents that he would follow in his footsteps. The four-time Olympian then talked of the Paris Olympics for Richards. He said, “After seeing him give the performance of his life in Paris and having to settle for fourth despite running, you know, the fastest time ever for that place, I would root for him even if he didn’t also hail from my country.” In Paris, the track and field athlete clocked an impressive 43.78 seconds in the final, surpassing the previous national record of 44.01 seconds set by Machel Cedenio.

“So I was happy to see him do that and then to find out that he wasn’t well in Kingston and felt, you know, really horrible about not being able to perform in the way that he liked, he is going to be a threat for the rest of the Grand Slam,” concluded the T&T former athlete. In the Kingston Grand Slam track, Richards secured the second place with a time of 20.81 seconds in the 200 meters, and he finished seventh with a time of 45.35 seconds in the 400 meters.

But when you’re in track and field, anybody can come to take the lead. In the Miami Grand Slam Track, the man performed well enough to take the 100K dollars home with him.

How did Jereen Richards win the 100k in the Grand Slam Track?

While the heartbreak in Kingston caused impact, for the Grand Slam Track legacy Richards could build, he solidified the foundation of it in Miami. Day 1- 200m. The track and field athlete took his mark in lane number six, with a red Adidas vest and black shorts. He believed that he has got this, and he did. Not only did he clock a time that won him the race, but also the best of 2025. The 31-year-old clocked a time of 19.86 seconds–the fastest anybody has recorded in 200m this year. Alexander Ogando finished second with the same timing, registering as the second fastest in 2025 as of now.

Richards now had 12 points in the bank, and the next stop for him was the 400 metres the other day. Did he win? No. Does it matter? No. Because he did enough to win the 100k dollars. Once again, donning the red Adidas vest and this time red shorts a well, he took his mark in lane number 7. The win was claimed by Jacory Patterson, the track and field athlete who worked for UPS to financially support his training, and also the one Richards appealed for. So what about Jereem?

Jereem Richards was the very next man to cross the finish line after Patterson. The 31-year-old clocked a time of 44.32 seconds. This ensured another 8 points added to his bank. With 20 points now to his name, Richards became the top guy in the long sprints group, winning the hundred thousand dollars.