Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili has opted out of the much-anticipated maiden Grand Slam Track meet which will be held in Kingston, Jamaica from Friday, April 4 to Sunday, April 6, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The organisers announced Ofili was one of the 10 athletes who would no longer participate in the first leg of the meet, citing injuries and unexpected circumstances.
Ofili, who was initially confirmed as a challenger in the women’s short sprints category running the 100m and 200m against the likes of Olympic medallists Melissa Jefferson, Brittany Brown, and Daryll Neita was replaced by Jamaican athlete Jodean Williams.
According to reports, the 96 athletes confirmed for the event are contracted to appear in the $12.6m circuit across all four slams.
Grand Slam Track senior director of racing Kyle Merber (USA) said, “While injuries and unexpected circumstances are out of our control, we’ve chosen to be transparent with fans rather than keep them in the dark. We are excited that there has been so much interest from athletes to compete in the initial Grand Slam Track event that we have been able to fill the open lanes with such high-quality competitors who will contend for wins.”
The inaugural meet in Kingston will be followed by other slams on May 2-4 in Miramar, Florida; May 30 to June 1 at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, and June 27-29 at UCLA’s Drake Stadium in Los Angeles.
At Baton Rouge in Louisiana, United States, Ofili opened her 2025 season running 7.26 seconds to win the preliminary round of the Women’s 60m Olympic Development heat.
Following the disappointing outing at the Paris Olympics last year, Ofili made her first track appearance in February, opening her 2025 season by running 7.26s to win the preliminary round of the women’s 60m Olympic Development heat at Baton Rouge in Louisiana, United States.
She won the women’s 60m dash with a season best of 7.26s at the LSU Twilight meet, beating Thelma Davies who came in next with 7.27s.
