Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili made her long-awaited debut at the newly launched Grand Slam Track in Miami on Friday, finishing third in the women’s 100m race, which was won by Olympic bronze medallist Melissa Jefferson-Wooden.
Jefferson-Wooden clocked a blistering 10.75s (2.4) to take the win ahead of Tamari Davis, who ran 10.79s. Ofili came in third with an impressive time of 10.94s.
Olympic 200m champion Gabby Thomas, despite recording her first-ever sub-11s run in all conditions with 10.97s, settled for fourth, narrowly ahead of Jacious Sears who finished in 10.98s.
This race marked Ofili’s first appearance at the Grand Slam Track, a league celebrated as the first truly professional series for track athletes, after withdrawing from the opening leg in Kingston, Jamaica earlier this month.
The competition features 96 of the world’s elite athletes competing over three days, with $100,000 up for grabs in each event.
Ofili, 22, is also expected to compete in the 200m event later in the competition.
The next leg of the Grand Slam Track will take place from May 30 to June 1 at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, with the final leg set for June 27–29 at UCLA’s Drake Stadium in Los Angeles.
Winners of each event will receive $100,000, while the eighth-place finisher earns $10,000. In total, Grand Slam Track offers $12.6 million in annual prize money, in addition to base salaries and appearance fees for athletes.
