BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — Olympic silver medalist Matt Hudson-Smith says he has “a memory like a fish” and doesn't know if he's been paid what he's owed by Grand Slam Track, the league that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection late last year.
Hudson-Smith spoke Sunday at a press conference ahead of the European championships in Birmingham, England, and addressed four-time Olympic champion Michael Johnson's comments, in an interview with the Telegraph,
that he had now “been able to get these athletes paid.”
Johnson formed the league by providing star athletes with salaries and appearance fees to compete on a four-event circuit in 2025. There also was prize money at each race but the series was cut short when Grand Slam Track canceled its final meet last June in Los Angeles.
“I’m going to be real, I have a memory like a fish, so I can’t remember what’s going on,” said Britain's Hudson-Smith, a two-time European champion in the 400 meters
A filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware in January listed Hudson-Smith as being owed $147,500.
“This whole year, I’ve been just focused on Europeans. Grand Slam, I don’t know if I’ve been paid, to be honest with you, and you can quote that,” said the 31-year-old Hudson-Smith, who won silver in the 400 at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The court filing listed more than 300 people and companies owed some $40 million. Eric Edwards Jr., a lesser-known hurdler, was on the list and told The Associated Press in January that the money was earmarked for practical needs like paying rent.
Johnson told the Telegraph that he's spent the past year finding solutions for the athletes.
“Everybody's been paid — $11 million for three track meets — more money than has ever been paid to track athletes to compete,” Johnson said.
A note on the bottom of the Telegraph's video interview of Johnson said: “Johnson raised $11m to pay athletes but some of that is held in escrow and still in the process of being distributed.”
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