On Saturday, Edmonton’s Marco Arop ran the third 1,500 of his career during the second day of the 2025 Grand Slam of Track stop in Kingston, Jamaica.
The 26-year-old competed in the men’s 1500m event against “racers” Cole Hocker of the United States, British middle-distance runner Josh Kerr and American Yared Nuguse — the Olympic gold, silver and bronze medallists last Aug. 6 in Paris.
Arop fell back off the lead pack and finished 6th in 3:39.65.
Kenya’s 800m Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi provided one of the more entertaining finishes of the night as he held off all three of the men’s 1,500m Paris podium finishers down the final straight in the metric mile in 3:35.18.
WATCH | Kenya’s Wanyonyi wins Grand Slam Track 1,500m, Canada’s Arop finishes 6th:
Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi finishes first in the men’s 1,500-metre short distance race at the Grand Slam Track stop in Kingston, Jamaica. Edmonton’s Marco Arop, the reigning 800-metre world champion, places sixth.
Americans Yared Nuguse (3:35.36) and Cole Hocker (3:35.52), who finished second and third will hope to make up ground when they compete in Sunday’s 800m.
Arop joined GST last October and is the lone Canadian among 48 racers committed to appearing at all four Slams – Miami (May 2-4), Philadelphia (May 30-June 1) and Los Angeles (June 27-29) are the others.
The Kingston Grand Slam Track meet ends on Sunday with Arop set to run his signature 800m event. Arop has a 2023 world championship title in the men’s 800 metres and a silver medal in North American record time from the Paris Olympics last summer.
Grand Slam Track has been billed as the “Formula One of athlete racing” by four-time Olympic gold medallist Michael Johnson, who is fronting the league.
A purse of $12.6 million U.S. is on the table at the four-event Grand Slam, which will hold races in Miami, Philadelphia and Los Angeles this year.
WATCH l Track’s new pro league, Grand Slam Track, explained:
Four-time Olympic champion Michael Johnson is the man behind the new professional track league.
