Grant Holloway tops field in 110-meter hurdles in Olympic Trials final

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Grant Holloway is ready for redemption.

In the final of the 110-meter hurdles at the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials Friday in Eugene, Oregon, the Chesapeake native ran his second-fastest time ever and the fourth-fastest time in history as he topped a tight field.

Holloway finished in 12.86 seconds, and that came after clipping a hurdle and having a stiff challenge, with a tenth of a second separating Holloway from third place, as Freddie Crittenden finished second (12.93) and Daniel Roberts (12.96) took third.

Holloway’s time is just six-hundredths of a second away from the world record in the event (12.80).

The 26-year-old Holloway earned the chance to win the Olympic title that he wasn’t able to three years ago in an upset loss.

“Two-time Olympian, that just speaks for itself,” Holloway said in a post-race interview with NBC. “I told you, my goal was just to come out here and just execute each round.”

Holloway won his semifinal heat in 12.96 seconds to reach the finals after putting the world on notice with his time in Monday’s first round (12.92 seconds), which was a season-best, until Friday.

Holloway recently 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.

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.”

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.

Legend Boyesen Hayes, a Christopher Newport University graduate, competed Thursday in the discus and finished in 16th place after three throws, with his best being 191 feet, 11 inches, which came on his first throw. There were still several competitors who had not yet completed their first three throws, but Hayes will not advance to Saturday’s final.

The top 12 discus throwers after three throws advanced to the final.