Aaron Brown, Andre De Grasse go head-to-head at Grand Slam Track Philadelphia

CBC Sports

· Posted: May 30, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 6 minutes ago

This weekend's Grand Slam Track halt successful Philadelphia whitethorn beryllium 1 time shorter, but it volition person some extra Canadian content.

In summation to bid regular Marco Arop, who runs the 800 and 1,500 metres, sprinters Aaron Brown and Andre De Grasse volition vie arsenic challengers successful the nonrecreational way league's men's abbreviated sprints radical astatine Philadelphia's Franklin Field opening connected Saturday astatine 4 p.m ET.

The 2 Canadian 4x100m relay teammates volition enactment up against 1 different successful Saturday's 200m (5:07p.m. ET) and Sunday's 100m (5:22 p.m. ET), an accidental Brown says he always savours.

"It's ever large to contention with [Andre]. I ever get up for it," Brown said. "You know, I'm ever excited to tally regardless, but anytime he's successful the race, you cognize there's a small added other motivation, truthful it's gonna beryllium fun."

Brown is anticipating "a batch of affable banter" among the competitors, since the tract includes a brace of his grooming partners, Americans Kenny Bednarek and Christian Coleman.

Grand Slam Track Philadelphia volition stream live connected CBCSports.ca and on CBC Gem opening connected Saturday astatine 4 p.m. ET, continuing on Sunday astatine 3 p.m. ET. For a afloat broadcast docket of athletics events this season, click here.

Bednarek is a racer – meaning helium competes astatine each Grand Slam – and truthful far, 'Kung Fu Kenny' has been astir unstoppable. Bednarek has won Slam titles astatine some the Kingston, Jamaica and Miami events.

Coleman joins Brown and De Grasse as challengers successful Philadelphia, which are athletes invited connected a per-Slam basis. Extra challenger spots opened up owed to racers Oblique Seville (injury) and Fred Kerley (suspension) missing this meet.

Rounding retired the tract is racer Zharnel Hughes of Great Britain, and challengers Bryan Levell of Jamaica, American Christian Miller, and Nigeria's Udodi Onwuzurike.

Philadelphia marks De Grasse's second Slam competition. The Markham, Ont., autochthonal ran to a sixth-place decorativeness astatine the Miami halt earlier this month, aft placing eighth successful the 100m and 4th successful the 200m.

WATCH | De Grasse explains wherefore he's racing successful the Grand Slam Track circuit: 

This is Brown's archetypal Slam competition, but the 32-year-old from Toronto has been keeping a keen oculus connected the fledgling way league – and helium likes what he's been seeing. That includes the format, due to the fact that it not lone allows fans to spot athletes contention much than erstwhile astatine a meet, Brown says it means that erstwhile they bash race, there's a batch much connected the line.

"It gives the fans inducement to privation to travel backmost and ticker again," helium says. "You cognize erstwhile you person athletes successful the event, you don't privation to conscionable person them connected the way erstwhile and past that's it."

The two-race format creates a request to support fans up to velocity with the points system, and Brown believes the league does a bully occupation successful presenting that accusation successful the broadcast. He says it besides creates a communicative that heightens the play astir the races.

"It's not conscionable going retired determination and racing for nary reason, they're really trying to tally for a large prize purse. After the archetypal time it's similar 'OK who has what constituent total, each close what bash they request successful bid to win, wherever are they gonna finish?" Brown says. "For truthful agelong each that mattered was however accelerated are you going to run, and if they didn't deed record-breaking speeds, radical would beryllium similar 'oh it wasn't a bully race.'

"But this gets it backmost to racing head-to-head and competing, which is what the essence of the sport."

Condensed schedule

Brown besides gives Grand Slam Track apical marks for taking constructive criticism and not being acrophobic to marque changes during the season.

"So acold it feels precise jock focused and I besides similar however they accommodate and perceive to feedback," helium says.

Some of that feedback was connected the magnitude of the meet. Originally scheduled to statesman connected Friday and held implicit 3 days, league commissioner Michael Johnson announced connected May 15 that the Philadelphia Slam would statesman connected Saturday and wrapper up connected Sunday.

"A batch of radical are saying that 3 days mightiness beryllium excessively much, truthful they shortened it to 2 for Philly," Brown said. "You cognize that they're unfastened to making changes connected the alert and being successful its infancy, they cognize that they conscionable privation to make the champion merchandise and I deliberation they're doing a bully occupation and connected the close path."

The determination to a two-day lawsuit did effect in at slightest 1 important alteration for the agelong region groups. The three-day contention model had allowed for a time of remainder for the athletes betwixt their 3,000m and 5,000m events, but present they volition vie successful a azygous 3,000m contention successful Philadelphia.

That alteration besides comes with an altered prize pool, with agelong region Slam champions taking location $50,000 US alternatively of the $100,000 antecedently up for grabs.

WATCH | Track's caller pro league, the Grand Slam of Track, explained: 

The last halt of the Grand Slam Track play is successful Los Angeles from June 27-29.

All Grand Slam Track events volition beryllium streamed unrecorded connected CBCSports.ca and on CBC Gem. For a afloat broadcast docket of athletics events this season, click here.