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Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track organization has categorically refuted speculation that the retired track star received $2 million during the competition while athletes were not compensated, labeling these claims as “categorically false”.

Instead, the group asserted that Johnson himself incurred personal monetary setbacks throughout the venture.

Competitors and Vendors Seek Compensation

The four-time Olympic gold medalist is now facing the prospect of lawsuits from competitors, representatives, and suppliers who participated in the three GST meetings.

Sources indicate that outstanding debts could total as much as $19 million, with multiple competitors reportedly forced to withdraw from home acquisitions due to missing prize money.

A number of participants now privately believe they will never receive the money they expected.

Johnson’s Representative Responds

A representative for Johnson emphasized that, despite widespread speculation, the sprint legend did not profit from the series.

“Claims that he earned $2 million or gained financially in any way from GST are categorically false,” the spokesperson said. “Actually, Michael has invested more than $2 million of his personal funds into the project.”

The representative continued, “Our team is working hard to obtain more financial support, and Michael has asked for patience while we resolve this situation.”

Inception and Termination of the Event

GST was unveiled amid high expectations in Jamaica last spring, offering competitors as much as $100,000 for winning their events, along with extra payments for official “racers”.

However, the competition was cancelled before the fourth stage in LA, after the organizer revealed that a key investor had withdrawn support due to low attendance at the Kingston event.

Although the subsequent meetings in Miami and Philadelphia were considered successful, the financial situation had by then become critical.

Next Steps and Ongoing Developments

Johnson remains hopeful that the competition can relaunch in 2026 and aims to resolve all remaining payments by the end of this month.

Nonetheless, lawyers are reportedly examining the matter, and Sebastian Coe, head of the sport’s global organization, has commented that they are watching carefully the ongoing issue.

Last month, Johnson acknowledged that he had let down the athletes involved, stating: “This is incredibly difficult to face the reality that you’ve built something bigger than yourself while knowing you’ve failed the very people you intended to help.”

He continued, “We committed that competitors would be fairly and quickly paid. But, here we are facing challenges with our capacity to pay them.”