“Sometimes I actually need to get beaten to be a little bit disappointed to be able to rise to the occasion and um come back,” these words of wisdom came from Jereem Richards about a month ago when the athlete first ran in the Grand Slam Track’s 200m event in Kingston. The result did not go the way he wanted it to, but the 31-year-old knew better than to lose spirit. The man gave the message that you have to fall to learn to stand back. Being a man of his word, Richard did exactly that in Miami, and in what fashion!

Donning the red Adidas vest and the black shorts, the 3x Commonwealth Games winner ran like the wind in the men’s 200m. The 31-year-old clocked a time of 19.86 seconds – the fastest anybody has recorded in 200m this year. Interestingly, Alexander Ogando finished second with the same timing, registering as the second fastest in 2025 as of now. Anyway, Banking 12 points, the next stop for Richards was the 400m on day 2.  Taking his mark on the track against the likes of Jacory Patterson, Matthew Hudson-Smith, and many more, the 2022 world indoor champion needed a good performance for redemption. And did he?

Well, he did! While Jereem Richards could not clinch a first-place finish in the 400m, he did just enough to place second. And pocket the BIG JACKPOT of $100K by winning the long sprints group by topping the charts with 20 points. And not just his run, but what he said afterwards also stole the show!  “God is great all the time. It means a lot to me. I’ve been working hard, praying harder. It’s a blessing,” said the Trinidad and Tobago athlete in the post-race interview.

Jereem Richards further said, “I’m in shape. I’ve been in shape. I’ve been working hard, praying harder, and you know, it’s a blessing to come out here and win my first Grand Slam. I hope to take this momentum to the next two.” When Jereem Richards took his mark on the men’s 200m track in the inaugural Grand Slam Track in Miami on May 2, the thought of avenging the loss in Kingston must have been a constant knock in his head. Thus, as soon as the cue to run came, Richard stormed down the sixth lane.

Even the commentator box buzzed, “Jereem Richards has started the quickest, which he tends to do; he likes to get out hard in the 400 meters.” At one point in the race, Richard did take over the American runner Jacory Patterson. But Patterson had different plans. Patterson stormed for the win with a time of  43.98 seconds, while Richard finished second with a time of 44.32 seconds. And the 31-year-old athlete wouldn’t be unhappy at all because this brings 8 more points to his bank. and sealed the deal for Jereem.

And not just that, as  Jereem Richards also recorded his personal best in 100 meters this season (10.25) in the PURE Athletics Spring Invitational on April 26. As he walks home with 100k dollars. Let’s also take a look at what happened in Kingston.

Jereem Richards’ Kingston Heartbreak

When Jereem Richards first signed up for Michael Johnson’s brainchild, he said, “Every race is a chance to tell a story about where I’ve come from and where I’m going. Grand Slam Track is the perfect platform for that.” Now you would expect the man to perform, especially in the 200m- a distance he excels in running. But things went a little south for the Trinidad and Tobago athlete in the debut 200m of GST.

The 400-meter race on Day 1 was horrendous for the track and field athlete. In the first half of the race, he did try to keep up with the opponents. He did get a good head start, like he always does. Despite this, he could only clock in a time of 45.35 seconds, finishing seventh in the race. Christopher Bailey took the win with 44.34s.

Day 2 of the Kingston Grand Slam Track saw the Trinidad and Tobago athlete run in the 200 meters. Compared to the 400 meters, Richards was phenomenal in the 200. The man took to lane four and went on a head-to-head battle with Jamaica’s Deandre Watkin. In the final 50 meters of the race, Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith accelerated and outpaced everybody for the win in 20.77 seconds. Jereem finished second with a time of 20.81 seconds.

Jereem Richards earned 11 points in the men’s long sprints category, securing 3rd place overall in that group. The total money that came to him was only $30k. But he turned this around in Miami, so would he keep dominating in Philadelphia?