THE ADVICE WAS SIMPLE. Grant Holloway said his coach told him before the high hurdle final “just to trust my first four steps and it will take me all the way down the track.”
Reminded that U.S. teammate Daniel Roberts was actually ahead at the first hurdle, Holloway said, “Who got to the finishline first? Thank you.”
Holloway, who upgraded from his silver in Tokyo, achieved his career Grand Slam — adding the title of Olympic champion to his three straight outdoor Worlds golds starting in ’19, two indoor world titles and the ’22 Diamond League crown.
The 26-year-old clocked 12.99, dipping below 13 for the eleventh time to win the first U.S. gold in the event since ’12.
“I’m a fireman,” Holloway said. “Everybody in that heat has run something hot, but it’s my job to control it. It’s my job to put out everybody else’s flame, and I was able to do that today.”
Roberts placed 2nd in 13.09 after an eventful race in which he was spiked at the second hurdle — leaving three gashes on his left arm — hit four hurdles and dove at the finish line, tumbling across the track. (Read more on Holloway & Roberts here.)
While Jamaica’s Rasheed Broadbell was given the same time of 13.09, the photofinish showed Roberts ahead at 13.085–13.088. Although the U.S. hurdlers talked about a sweep, Freddie Crittenden placed 6th in 13.32. Defending champ Hansle Parchment of Jamaica was last in 13.39.
Four days earlier, Crittenden made history as the first athlete to game track’s newly added repechage rounds. Having incurred a minor adductor injury a day before the first round, the man dubbed “Fast Freddie” in his prep days jogged through his heat in 18.27 to finish last. This relegated him to the second-chance repechage round, giving his sore thigh muscle 2 additional days of healing time.
The strategy worked and Crittenden won his repechage heat in 13.42 to advance to the semis.
Holloway won the 20th Olympic gold in the event for the U.S., which now has 59 medals dating back to 1896.
In the previous 8 years, the only U.S. medal at the Olympics was Holloway’s silver in Tokyo. Holloway said the Paris race was not about redemption.
“It’s three years ago,” said Holloway, who trains with Florida Gator coach Mike Holloway in Gainesville. “There’s nothing I can learn about that. I’m older, I’m wiser, I’m stronger, more mature in the event. That’s all I need to come here in Paris and win.”
Coming off the second hurdle, Holloway was in command.
Towards barriers 9 and 10, however, he said he caught cramps in both legs. “But hey, it doesn’t matter,” he said. “I made it to the finishline before anybody else, so I’m happy about that.”
MEN’S 110 HURDLES RESULTS
FINAL (August 08; wind –0.1)
(temperature 79F/26C; humidity 40%)
1. Grant Holloway (US) 12.99
(touchdowns—2.33, 3.34, 4.32, 5.29, 6.25, 7.24, 8.23, 9.25, 10.30, 11.39);
2. Daniel Roberts (US) 13.09 (13.085)
(2.31, 3.36, 4.39, 5.40, 6.43, 7.45, 8.47, 9.49, 10.51, 11.56);
3. Rasheed Broadbell (Jam) 13.09 (13.088)
(2.40, 3.48, 4.49, 5.50, 6.50, 7.50, 8.52, 9.52, 10.54, 11.57);
4. Enrique Llopis (Spa) 13.20;
5. Rachid Muratake (Jpn) 13.21;
6. Freddie Crittenden (US) 13.32;
7. Orlando Bennett (Jam) 13.34;
8. Hansle Parchment (Jam) 13.39.
(lanes: 2. Parchment; 3. Llopis; 4. Roberts; 5. Broadbell; 6. Holloway; 7. Bennett; 8. Crittenden; 9. Muratake)
(reaction times: 0.104 Holloway, 0.139 Roberts, 0.142 Bennett, 0.144 Broadbell, Llopis & Parchment, 0.161 Muratake & Crittenden)
HEATS (August 04)
I(0.1)–1. Muratake 13.22; 2. Llopis 13.28; 3. Eduardo Rodrigues (Bra) 13.37; 4. Manuel Mordi (Ger) 13.48; 5. Raphael Mohamed (Fra) 13.61; 6. John Cabang (Phi) 13.66; 7. Jakub Szymański (Pol) 13.75; 8. Martín Sáenz (Chl) 13.83.
II(0.0)–1. Louis François Mendy (Sen) 13.31; 2. Bennett 13.35; 3. Michael Obasuyi (Bel) 13.41; 4. Asier Martínez (Spa) 13.47; 5. Amine Bouanani (Alg) 13.58; 6. Enzo Diessl (Aut) 13.63; 7. David Yefremov (Kaz) 13.88; 8. Crittenden 18.27.
III(1.1)–1. Zhuoyi Xu (Chn) 13.40; 2. Antoine Andrews (Bah) 13.43; 3. Roberts 13.43; 4. Milan Trajkovic (Cyp) 13.43; 5. Parchment 13.43; 6. Rafael Henrique Pereira (Bra) 13.47; 7. Craig Thorne (Can) 13.60; 8. Krzysztof Kiljan (Pol) 13.67.
IV(0.3)–1. Jason Joseph (Swi) 13.26; 2. Lorenzo Ndele Simonelli (Ita) 13.27; 3. Shunsuke Izumiya (Jpn) 13.27; 4. Tade Ojora (GB) 13.35; 5. Wilhem Belocian (Fra) 13.48; 6. Junxi Liu (Chn) 13.54; 7. Elie Bacari (Bel) 13.66; 8. Damian Czykier (Pol) 13.99.
V(0.7)–1. Holloway 13.01; 2. Broadbell 13.42; 3. Sasha Zhoya (Fra) 13.43; 4. Shunya Takayama (Jpn) 13.46; 5. Tayleb Willis (Aus) 13.63; 6. Weibo Qin (Chn) 13.64; 7. Elmo Lakka (Fin) 13.84;… dnf—Yaqoub Al-Yoha (Kuw).
REPECHAGE (August 06)
I(0.2)–1. Crittenden 13.42; 2. Martínez 13.46; 3. Liu 13.52; 4. Diessl 13.56; 5. Thorne 13.62; 6. Kiljan 13.73; 7. Lakka 13.75.
II(-0.5)–1. Pereira 13.54; 2. Mohamed 13.54; 3. Bouanani 13.54; 4. Mordi 13.55; 5. Czykier 13.71; dq. Yefremov; dns. Cabang.
III(-1.1)–1. Qin 13.44; 2. Belocian 13.45; 3. Takayama 13.45; 4. Szymański 13.63; 5. Willis 13.67; 6. Sáenz 13.95; 7. Bacari 14.13.
SEMIS (August 07)
I(0.1)–1. Holloway 12.98; 2. Llopis 13.17; 3. Parchment 13.19; 4. Muratake 13.26; 5. Obasuyi 13.36; 6. Qin 13.41; 7. Mohamed 13.41; 8. Andrews 13.43.
II(-0.1)–1. Broadbell 13.21; 2. Crittenden 13.23; 3. Zhoya 13.34; 3. Mendy 13.34; 5. Simonelli 13.38; 6. Joseph 13.43; 7. Ojora 13.47; 8. Pereira 13.87.
III(0.6)–1. Bennett 13.09 PR; 2. Roberts 13.10; 3. Trajkovic 13.32; 3. Izumiya 13.32; 5. Martínez 13.35; 6. Rodrigues 13.44; 7. Xu 13.48; 8. Belocian 13.52.