PARIS (WAVY) – WAVY TV 10’s Marielena Balouris got an opportunity to speak one-on-one with Chesapeake’s Grant Holloway ahead of the Men’s 110m Hurdles on Sunday, Aug. 4 at the 2024 Paris Olympics. This marks his second appearance competing in the Olympic Games.
The interview can be read in full below:
Lena: Hey everybody I’m here with Grant Holloway, the silver medalist in the 110m hurdles. Here in Paris for his second Olympics, Grant, how are you feeling heading into this competition?
Holloway: I’m feeling really good, um, this is the most confident, I’m not sure if that’s a real sentence, but I’m gonna use it. This is the most confident I’ve been going into a major. You know, the last three world championships- or five world championships have been great. I think this one is just going to be a little bit different just because I am a little bit more experienced a little bit, a little bit more seasoned. I understand the meaning of what it actually means to hurdle 110. So, you know, going into this one, I’m going to treat it just like the Olympic trials, you know, whenever I have to run through the rounds, just do, and then obviously when into the final, it doesn’t matter what time I run, just make sure I get to the finish line before everyone else.
Lena: Absolutely, absolutely. Now, I know your parents are on their way here, family and friends as well. What does it mean to you to have them coming?
Holloway: I mean, the last Olympics, there was no one in the stands. You know, now we have fans, we have family, we have friends, we have super fans, um, you know, so just to have people in the stands and to know my story and to know who I am, not just as a person, but as an athlete as well. I think it’s just going to mean the world to, you know, whatever we have to do. So, I’m just looking forward to seeing everybody in the stands, being able to wave, being able to share some emotion and be ready.
Lena: The whole 757, and the whole country, has your back, they are cheering for you. What does that support mean and what would you say to them back home?
Holloway: Um, really just, thank you. You know, the journey has been long, um, and I’m quote, unquote the ‘oldhead’ on the team now because I’ve made so many teams and just been with everybody- this is my seventh, I want to say my seventh USA Team to represent Team USA and, you know, what better stage to do it at than the Olympics. You know, I have some of the younger ones saying, I was like, ‘I’m 26,’ and they were like, ‘oh my gosh, you’re old!’ And I’m like, ‘you’ll be there one day.’ So, just to be experiencing and to have people here, you know, it’s going to be, it’s going to be the world to me.
Lena: Tell me about your Olympic experience so far. What’s it been like to have everything going on?
Holloway: It’s been good, it’s been good. I mean, obviously the village is the village. Um, but Noah had talked about, saying like he doesn’t have that freedom to be alone. I always say, you know, I’m famous, but not so famous that people don’t bother me so much. So, my Olympic experience has been way better than Noah. So, just to be able to sit back, relax and, you know, actually see what the village has to offer, but at the same time, you know, knowing that I have a task to complete at hand, it’s going to be great.
Lena: I want to ask you about a couple of tattoos you have that your parents told me about. And they have special meanings, special quotes. Can you tell me about them?
Holloway: Yes, so I mean, the first one is, um, ‘you have to wait a moment for a moment,’ that’s right here. That’s my dad’s name. And then basically, it’s exactly what it sounds like, you know, last Olympics, I was, I was silver. You know, it wasn’t my moment yet. You know, challenging and you just go forward and really just try to just conquer what I have to do. And then the other one is just ‘surround yourself with positivity,’ that one is self explanatory, you know. Regardless of whatever happens, you know, as long as you stay positive in every outcome, you know. I always say I don’t, I don’t lose, but I learn. You know, that’s what I usually say with all of my races. You know, regardless if you win, there’s always something that you can learn that happens afterwards. So definitely looking forward to it, definitely looking, um, really just excited to get out there. You know, it’s going to be my first time on a purple track, and I think that’s going to be pretty, pretty dope. And, you know, it’s just going to be my seventh time representing Team USA, you know, to have five world titles, to have a world record, to have Olympic silver, to be the fastest man indoors, the second fastest man outdoors, and I think the resume is just going to continue just to build, and I think, you know, all roads are going to lead to the first round out here on August 4.
Lena: And we are so excited to watch you compete. Grant, thank you so much, we appreciate your time.
Holloway: Thank you so much, thank you.