by Vincent Daheron
PARIS, April 19 (Reuters) – Triple world champion in the 110m hurdles Grant Holloway has only one objective this season: to win in Paris next August the Olympic title which is missing from his list of achievements, as he ‘ said in an interview with Reuters on Thursday.
During his only participation in the Olympic Games, in 2021 in Tokyo, the 26-year-old American finished in second place, beaten to everyone’s surprise by the Jamaican Hansle Parchment.
What remains of this disappointment? “The feeling of what you did wrong,” he explained. “This is my redemption tour.”
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Since then, he has been world champion in Eugene (United States) in 2022 and in Budapest in 2023 to bring his total to three coronations after Doha in 2019.
“In the last editions of the World Championships, I was perfect, I was strong. I just want to be able to reproduce that.”
He hopes to experience the same feeling as at the Worlds during the 110m hurdles final of the Paris Games, scheduled for August 8 at the Stade de France.
“If I don’t get the gold medal, I don’t want to consider this season a failure but my goals are high,” he said. “Olympic gold is on my list along with the World Indoor medal I won in Glasgow.”
In Scotland, in March, Grant Holloway was crowned world champion in the 60m hurdles for the second time in his career, two weeks after breaking the world record (7”27) for this indoor discipline.
“It was very important. I really wanted to be able to get my Olympic campaign off to a good start,” said the man who trains in Gainesville, Florida. “We use this indoor preparation to be ready for the outdoor season, and we use this outdoor season to be ready for the Worlds and this year, obviously, for the Games.”
The American is riding a crazy streak of 76 consecutive victories over 60m hurdles.
“I have a lot of confidence. It’s no secret that I have more losses outdoors than indoors. Like I said before, the sky is the limit.”
Second fastest man in history over 110m hurdles thanks to his time of 12”81 achieved in June 2021 in Eugene, Grant Holloway is only one hundredth away from the world record held since 2012 by his compatriot Aries Merritt (12”80).
“It’s clearly a goal but today, winning Olympic gold is really my priority,” he said. “It can be a fast time or a slow time, as long as you cross the line in front of everyone, you’ve done your job.” (Reporting by Vincent Daheron, edited by Blandine Hénault)
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