FANS CAN ARGUE all day about whether the Trials 110H final was the greatest sticks race in history, but there’s no disputing that Grant Holloway’s stunning 12.86 victory led the deepest race in history.
The opening round, on Monday, showed that Holloway was primed. He streaked to a 12.92 in the first race, while Jamal Britt hit a PR 13.07 in the fourth. Altogether, 7 broke 13.20, with Holloway’s mark the fastest-ever heat in history.
In the semis, held on Thursday, Holloway again went under 13.00, clocking 12.96. The next two qualifiers ran season bests, Freddie Crittenden at 13.05 and Daniel Roberts at 13.11. Britt could not replicate Monday’s form, missing a qualifier with his 13.32. Auburn super-frosh Ja’Kobe Tharp’s lane was empty.
The most important ingredient for Fridays’ final event would be Holloway himself. The owner of five world golds indoors and out, he said his goal is the same as it has always been: “dominance.”
Starting from lane 6, Holloway got out best, followed by Roberts in 4. By hurdle 4, Crittenden in 7 had found his rhythm and started pulling closer to Holloway. At hurdle 5 he pulled even with Roberts. Cordell Tinch, in 3, also started moving on Roberts.
Though Crittenden was eating into Holloway’s margin, the Florida alum came off the final hurdle with more than enough speed to carry through the line in a world-leading 12.86, the second-fastest performance of his life. The wind gauge read a maxed-out 2.0.
Crittenden’s 12.93 slashed his PR down from 13.00. Roberts held on for the final team berth in a PR 12.96. Tinch scored 4th in 13.03, and Texas A&M’s Ja’Qualon Scott took 5th in 13.09. It was the first-ever race with three under 13, and best-ever marks-for-place were set or tied in 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9.
On seeing his winning time, Holloway confessed that he was angry. “For the first time in a long time, I hit a hurdle [he toppled barrier 8] and that threw off my rhythm.”
Still, he thinks that a Paris sweep might be feasible. “We’re right where we need to be. I just want to stay consistent. That’s the biggest thing for me.”
“I’m still in shock,” said runner-up Crittenden, who did not make the finals at the ’21 Trials. “I’m trying to figure out what happened. This is one of the defining moments, not even of my career,…
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