so GST announced the signing of Ackera Nugent and Roshawn Clarke today. It's their 19th and 20th athlete so far, and it's also the first time they have actually completed an event group -- Russell, Samba-Mayela, Camacho-Quinn, and Nugent are now set for the women's short hurdles. here's the complete list by date with their best Worlds/Olympics finish:
Long Hurdles Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA)[11] 18 Jun 2024 1st (2021, 2022, 2024)
Short Distance Josh Kerr (GBR)[9] 27 Jun 2024 1st (2023)
Short Distance Yared Nuguse (USA)[12] 4 Sep 2024 3rd (2024)
Short Distance Cole Hocker (USA)[12] 4 Sep 2024 1st (2024)
Short Sprints Kenny Bednarek (USA)[13] 12 Sep 2024 2nd (2021, 2022, 2024)
Short Sprints Fred Kerley (USA)[13] 12 Sep 2024 1st (2022)
Short Sprints Melissa Jefferson (USA)[25] 19 Sep 2024 3rd (2024)
Short Hurdles Masai Russell (USA)[26] 25 Sep 2024 1st (2024)
Short Hurdles Cyrena Samba-Mayela (FRA)[26] 25 Sep 2024 2nd (2024)
Short Hurdles Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (PUR)[26] 25 Sep 2024 1st (2021)
Long Sprints Muzala Samukonga (ZAM)[21] 26 Sep 2024 3rd (2024)
Long Hurdles Alison Dos Santos (BRA)[21] 26 Sep 2024 1st (2022)
Long Hurdles Clément Ducos (FRA)[21] 26 Sep 2024 4th (2024)
Long Sprints Quincy Hall (USA)[22] 10 Oct 2024 1st (2024)
Long Sprints Matthew Hudson-Smith (GBR)[22] 10 Oct 2024 2nd (2023, 2024)
Long Distance Grant Fisher (USA)[24] 15 Oct 2024 3rd (2024)
Long Distance Ronald Kwemoi (KEN)[24] 15 Oct 2024 2nd (2024)
Short Distance Nikki Hiltz (USA)[27] 15 Oct 2024 7th (2024)
Long Hurdles Roshawn Clarke (JAM)[23] 17 Oct 2024 4th (2023)
Short Hurdles Ackera Nugent (JAM)[23] 17 Oct 2024 5th (2023)
For GST to really be "only the fastest" like they claim, they would need to be signing people who at least finished top 4 at a recent Worlds/Olympics because there are only 4 spots per event group.
They did exactly that up until 2 days ago, when Hiltz became their first non-top-4 signing (7th at the Paris Olympics). But okay, they won world indoor silver so you could make a case. Now today, they signed Clarke, who was 4th at '23 Worlds, and Nugent, whose best senior global finish was only 5th last year (she DNFed the Olympic final).
At some point, the star power had to fade. But is this the beginning of the end for GST? The more 5th, 6th, and 7th place finishers they sign from here on out, that's one less spot to a medallist that could have been signed for their first season.
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