USA's Holloway keeps alive shot at Olympics redemption
When the track announcer asked Grant Holloway what he thought of his latest win at US track trials in Oregon, America's best hurdler made it clear there are bigger things to come.
"If you're not training to win an Olympic gold medal," Holloway said, "then what the heck are you doing?"
That mantra has stayed planted in the 26-year-old's brain over the past three years, ever since an upset loss at the Tokyo Games left him with everything in this sport, except its biggest prize.
On Friday, the three-time world champion earned a trip back to the Olympics, winning the trials with the fourth-fastest time in history, 12.86 seconds, despite clipping the eighth of 10 hurdles.
Others with unfinished business looming at the Olympics include Sha'Carri Richardson and Noah Lyles, each of whom blazed through their 200m semi-finals to set up races on Saturday to qualify for their second event.
In Tokyo three years ago, Holloway cleared all 10 hurdles but faded late and lost by 0.05 to Jamaica's Hansle Parchment, who runs in his country's national championship this weekend.
Friday's race marked Holloway's third sub-13 run of the season — the second-fastest of his career. Freddie Crittenden was 0.07 seconds behind and Daniel Roberts finished third in 12.96, making this the first race in history with three sub-13 times.
Richardson ran her personal-best time in Eugene while Gabby Thomas ran the season's best time.
Thomas, the Olympic bronze medallist in 2021, glanced up to the scoreboard and looked surprised when she saw the "21.78" by her name after her semi. The mark bettered the best of 2024 by 0.05.
Richardson was every bit as pleased with her 21.92, which matched a personal best.
"It just shows I've been working, not just me but my team, preparing for this moment," she said.
Lyles ran a wind-aided 19.60 to win his semi-final, and was thinking about more than the Olympic spot he'll be racing for Saturday.
"After the 100s, I was thinking I could come out here and attack the American record again, maybe the world record. We'll see," said Lyles, who won the 100 last weekend.
Two summers ago on this track, Lyles ran 19.31 to beat Michael Johnson's hallowed American record, set at the Atlanta Games in 1996. The world record belongs to Usain Bolt at 19.19.
Elsewhere, Tokyo Games silver medallist Rai Benjamin stayed on pace for a return to the games, finishing his semi in the 400 hurdles in 47.97, the only sub-48 time of the meet so far.
Javelin thrower Kara Winger bought herself a few more throws to turn her comeback into her fifth trip to the Olympics.
The 38-year-old threw 63.01m to win qualifying and advance to Sunday's finals. But she will need to throw 64 metres, the Olympic qualifying standard, to make it to Paris.
