Johnson reveals 'stress' of Grand Slam Track collapse, clarifies payment

Michael Johnson said he had "nights where I didn't sleep" during the collapse of his Grand Slam Track (GST) athletics circuit as he insisted a payment made to him just days before its season was cut short had been entirely legitimate.

US sprint great Johnson, a four-time Olympic champion, launched Grand Slam Track earlier in 2025 with the bold goal of transforming athletics, promising a concentrated format featuring more frequent head-to-head races between the world's best athletes.

But the circuit stalled amid financing issues, with Johnson forced to cancel the fourth and final leg of the circuit in Los Angeles in June last year following meets in Kingston, Miami and Philadelphia.

GST filed for bankruptcy protection in December but a legal filing by GST's creditors in March accused Johnson of "secretly" paying himself $500,000 (£370,598) days before the season collapsed. A GST representative said at the time the claim was "unfounded and false".

Johnson, in an interview with Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper published Saturday, clarified the payment by saying: "I'm happy to clear it up, because it's the most hurtful thing and the exact opposite of what was reported.

"Our credit card was full at Grand Slam Track, because we were facing significant cash-flow issues. We had 96 athletes, plus companions, whom we needed to fly to Miami and Philadelphia.

"We had 170 people to house in hotels in both cities, and the credit card had no room left. I instructed our travel team to put it on my credit card, and I would be reimbursed for it.

"So, what I received was reimbursement. I also loaned the company $2 million (£1.5 million) to make sure we took care of the athletes. I decided to forgo my own salary.”

The 58-year-old Johnson, speaking about the stress he suffered as a result of GST's collapse, added: "It was 10 (out of 10).

"In Olympic sprinting, you have to deliver your best performance in seconds, and you get one opportunity every four years -– there's probably nothing more stressful than that. But this was the most stress I had dealt with in a very long time.

"I definitely had nights where I didn't sleep, where I would be awake thinking, 'This is on me. This headline just came out – do the athletes believe that?' Those things weighed on me very heavily, and on my family as well.

"I was asking myself, 'Are you stupid? Why did you do this? This is not what you need'."