American Grant Holloway broke the 27-year-old world record in the indoor 60m hurdles by one hundredth of a second, clocking 7.29 seconds at a meet in Madrid on Wednesday.
Holloway, the world champion in the 110m hurdles, took down Brit Colin Jackson‘s record set in 1994 in the 60m, which is not on the Olympic program.
Holloway’s initial time was recorded as 7.32. About a minute later, the official time came in as 7.29, “world record” was flashed on a stadium scoreboard and Holloway began posing with a “world record” sign.
“I wouldn’t say it was a perfect race, but I tied my PR in the heat, and that usually means I run faster in the final,” Holloway said, according to World Athletics. “I know that it [7.29] is not going to be in the record books forever, and when I fall asleep tonight – if I fall asleep – it will already be in the past.”
Earlier this year, Holloway scared the 60m world record with a pair of 7.32s (including one in Wednesday’s heats) and a 7.35.
Holloway, 23, has a personal best of 12.98 in the 110m hurdles. The world record in that event is 12.80, set by American Aries Merritt in 2012.
“The world record outdoors is definitely in my sights, but I want to let all this soak in first, then my priority is win the Olympic Trials and then the Olympic gold medal,” Holloway said, according to World Athletics.
Holloway had an offer to play wide receiver at the University of Georgia coming out of high school in 2016.
But the Virginia native wanted to be an Olympian, so he went to SEC rival Florida on a track scholarship. He turned pro after his junior year in 2019, having swept the NCAA 60m and 110m hurdles all three seasons and broken breaking Renaldo Nehemiah‘s 40-year-old collegiate record.
“American football is very unforgiving on the body,” Holloway said, according to Athletics Weekly. “Do you want to walk at 30? Or be in a wheelchair at 35?”
Holloway capped a busy 2019 -- more than 40 races from January into October -- by winning the world championships in Doha. He came through after the U.S. failed to earn a 110m hurdles medal at the Olympics for the first time in 2016 and at worlds for the first time in 2017.
Grant Holloway breaks world indoor 60m hurdles record in Madrid #WorldIndoorTour
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) February 24, 2021
Stunning hurdling from @Flaamingoo_ to clock 7.29 👏
📰: https://t.co/zCi4oRJwyr pic.twitter.com/1oM4G3DKP2
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