PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Chesapeake native Grant Holloway put the world on notice with his time in the first heat of the 110-meter hurdles at the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials in Eugene, Oregon.
Holloway, running out of lane four, finished in 12.92 seconds. That’s his second-fastest time ever and the fastest time run this year in the event, surpassing the 13.03 seconds he ran at a meet on the same track last month.
For perspective, the Olympic record in the 110-meter hurdles is 12.91 seconds by Xiang Liu, set at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. The world record in the event, at 12.80 seconds, was set in 2012 by the U.S.’s Aries Merritt.
Holloway is one of three athletes with local ties are competing at the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials, which began Friday.
Holloway said he had been having great practices, but “my main focus is just making this team.”
He said he has redemption on his mind after what happened to him at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, where he was upset by Jamaica’s Hansle Parchment and had to settle for a silver medal, finishing there in 13.09 seconds.
“I say it all the time, if you’re not training to be an Olympic gold medalist, what the hell are you doing,” Holloway said on NBC after running in the first heat.
He graduated from Grassfield High School before attending the University of Florida, where he won eight NCAA titles and helped the Gators win three team NCAA titles. He won the silver medal in the 110-meter hurdles at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo. In 2023, Holloway won his third consecutive world championship in the event.
In a statement, Holloway told 10 on Your Side, “I am excited to embark on my second Olympic Trials and demonstrate my capabilities. Through unrelenting hard work and determination, I am poised to make a lasting impact.”
Here’s when the 110-meter hurdles competitions are scheduled:
- Monday, June 24 (round 1)
- Thursday, June 27 (semifinals)
- Friday, June 28 (finals)
Michaela Rose, who is from Suffolk and attends LSU, came oh, so close, but did not qualify in the 800 meters.
She had been the top finisher in her first-round heat, and had the fastest time overall, with a time of 1:59.57. After a dramatic finish in the semifinals, Rose advanced to the finals with a time of 1:59.00.
In the final, after a dramatic early fall from Olympic champion Athing Mu, Rose ran among the leaders for the entire race and led after the first lap, but in the final straightaway, she was passed by Juliette Whittaker and finished in 1:59.32. Nia Akins won in 1:57.36, with Allie Wilson finishing second in 1:58.32 and Whittaker third in 1:58.45.
Rose is a New Balance high school outdoor national champion and three-time record-holder.
Rose just finished her junior year with four of the five fastest 800-meter times in collegiate history, and has seven sub-two minute times outdoors. She also won the national title in the 800 meters as a sophomore.
Legend Boyesen Hayes, a graduate of Christopher Newport University, will compete in the discus throw. He competed in the track and field trials for the Tokyo Olympics. During his senior year with the Captains, Boyesen Hayes placed second in the NCAA Outdoor Championship and set a new school record. He currently lives and trains in Pennsylvania, but has family in Virginia Beach.
Here’s when discus competitions are scheduled:
- Thurday, June 27 (qualifying)
- Saturday, June 29 (finals)
The top three athletes in most events make the team.
Sixteen-year-old phenom Quincy Wilson, who lived in Chesapeake before relocating to Gaithersburg, Md. to go to high school at Bullis, finished 6th in the 400 meters (44.94 seconds) and can become the youngest U.S. male Olympic track and field athlete if he’s picked for the 4x400m relay pool. In 2021, the top seven 400 meter runners at the Olympic Trials made the relay pool.