Grand Slam Track adds Tanaka, Cranny, Neita, Moraa, Eid Nasser as Racers
Grand Slam Track on Thursday announced the signings of Nozomi Tanaka, Elise Cranny, Daryll Neita, Mary Moraa, and Salwa Eid Naser as the next set of racers that will compete in athletics’ new global stage for elite track competition.
The Grand Slam Track is assembling a world-class roster of talent from across the globe that will redefine rivalry in track and field and provide the biggest purse ever.
The five athletes will compete in all four Slam events during the league’s inaugural season in 2025.
Founder of the event, Michael Johnson, a four-time US Olympic Champion, is delighted to add the five athletes to the world class elite list that have been confirmed for the competition.
‘Grand Slam Track continues to build momentum as we get closer to our inaugural 2025 season. The attention and recognition this league is gaining is incredible, and it continues to be clear that the best in the world want to be a part of it, as you can see from this group of women we have announced today.
‘As we continue to bring in top-tier talent from across the globe, this platform is becoming the premier stage for athletes to showcase their speed. With each new addition, we’re raising the bar and creating something truly special – a Festival of Speed – for fans to enjoy when the season kicks off in Kingston in April,’ Johnson said on the event’s website.
Tanaka, a Japanese middle and long-distance runner, holds national records in the 1500m, 3000m, and 5000m and competed in both the 1500m and 5000m at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2024 Paris Olympics.
She holds personal bests of 3:59.19 and 14:29.18 in those events and claimed gold in the 3000m at the 2018 World U20 Championships.
She has represented Japan at the World Championships in 2019, 2022, and 2023, as well as at World Cross Country Championships in 2019, 2023, and 2024, establishing herself as one of the country’s top distance runners.
Cranny is an American middle and long-distance runner, known for her impressive achievements in the 5000m and 10000m. The Stanford alum is a two-time Olympic finalist in the 5000m, a four-time national champion, and the American record holder in the indoor 5000m and outdoor 3000m.
She was also a part of the U.S. team that set the world record in the 4x1500m relay. Cranny competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2024 Paris Olympics. She was the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials champion in the 5000m.
Neita, a British sprinter who has earned recognition on the global stage, particularly in the 100m and 200m events won silver in the 200m at the 2024 European Championships and has multiple global 4x100m relay medals, including Olympic bronze in 2016 and 2020, and Olympic silver in 2024.
Neita’s personal bests include 10.90 seconds in the 100m and 22.16 seconds in the 200m.
Moraa, a Kenyan, is the reigning World Champion in the 800m and earned the bronze medal in that event at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Nigeria-born Bharaini, Eid Naser who earned silver at the 2024 Paris Olympics made history at the 2019 World Championships when she ran 48.14 seconds, the third-fastest performance of all time to win the gold medal, becoming in the process the youngest-ever 400m world champion.
