In a relief to a bunch of Kenyan athletes, four-time Olympic champion Michael Johnson has confirmed that all the runners who took part in the Grand Slam Track have been paid up.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsJohnson, speaking to the Telegraph on Saturday, 8 August, said that the salaries and prize monies of the athletes who competed in his now-bankrupt ambitious professional track and field league had all received their rightful dues.“I could not even entertain a future for Grand Slam until I could get athletes paid and get a neutral space for Grand Slam where, you know, we don't have any liabilities anymore, and we've satisfied all of those and got the athletes paid,” the 58-year-old said. “So, now that I've been able to accomplish that, now I can think about, you know, what a future for track might look like.”##NAJAVA_MECA_9883804##What had started as a promising venture in February 2024 went downhill quite quickly, this after severe financial difficulties saw events cancelled and left athletes unpaid.Having successfully held events in Kingston, Miami and Philadelphia in early 2025, the league’s problems became public in June, when it cancelled its Los Angeles meet, the final event of its inaugural season.At the time, reports emerged that several top athletes were still owed six-figure sums, before Grand Slam Track voluntarily filed for bankruptcy in the US in December 2025.Grand Slam track files for bankruptcySeveral Kenyan athletes were among the many high-profile stars who were owed payments.Some of them who had been drafted in the league included: 800m world champions Emmanuel Wanyonyi and Mary Moraa,10 km world record holder Agnes Ng'etich, 1500m runner Susan Ejore, and Olympic 5,000m silver medalist Ronald Kwemoi.Odira to collide with Werro, Bol at Lausanne Diamond LeagueIn the interview, Johnson also addressed a March 2026 report that accused him of “secretly” paying himself $500,000 (Ksh64.5 million), days before the league commenced.To that, he said: "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 $2m to make sure we took care of the athletes. I decided to forgo my own salary."##NAJAVA_MECA_9883815##All through that ordeal, the former American sprinter said he “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?”World Athletics' conditions for licensing or supporting 2026 Grand Slam Track"Those things weighed on me very heavily, and on my family as well,” Johnson added. “I was asking myself: 'Are you stupid? Why did you do this? This is not what you need.'"That was the most difficult part of this. Questioning my motivation for doing this, questioning my integrity, questioning my character."Kenyan youngster wins gold in Championship Record time at WU20sOn his current plans, Johnson said: “I'll tell you what I'm committed to. As long as I am in a position to help athletes in this sport, I will try to create a better sport for them. As long as I can do that, I'm going to I'm going to do that. I'm committed to that. How I do that, we'll see.”