Track Star Grant Holloway Sails Toward Gold in Mens 110m Hurdles at Paris Olympics

The way Grant Holloway sees it, he never really had much of a choice. When faced with the prospect of either playing football or running track at a national college powerhouse, Holloway jokes that it came down to being able to walk in 10 years or not.

All jokes aside, Holloway’s decision to focus on track at the University of Florida and leave behind all hopes of gridiron glory at the University of Georgia has worked out quite well for him and Team USA. This past weekend at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, he clenched the 110m hurdles heat victory with a scorching 13.01 seconds, cruising into the semifinals this week.

While Holloway enjoyed the game of football as a standout wide receiver in high school, there was something more alluring to him about the individualized pressure that comes with being a great track athlete.

“I wasn’t the best team player,” Holloway told EBONY. “I always ultimately wanted to be an Olympic champion. So, I took all my eggs out of the football basket and put them in the track basket.” It’s a move that Holloway has never regretted (can you blame him?).

With track as his sole athletic focus, Holloway has built a resume that speaks to his place among track royalty. As one of the fastest men on the planet, Holloway won a silver medal in the 110-meter hurdles at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and ranks among the fastest in the event. His 12.81 seconds in 2021 at the U.S. Olympic trials is the second-fastest time at the event.

“Instead of dwindling, my eggs are overflowing now,” Holloway said, “to not just myself but my teammates and family.”

It is that village Holloway speaks of that makes this part of his journey so special. Further proof of why he has partnered up with Xfinity’s “We All Win” campaign, along with other Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls such as women’s basketball Jewel Lloyd and fellow track star Noah Lyles.

“Xfinity as a whole is changing the game,” Holloway said. “Xfinity is connecting not only the athletes back home but also fans to the track meet itself. They’re capturing every moment.”

With a gold medal dangling so close to his fingertips, Holloway will indeed have his moment on the Olympics track, and there are no plans, now or in the future, to contemplate a return to football.

“I never gave it a thought. I never gave it an ounce of entertainment. I’ll try to play LIV golf before I try to go to the NFL,” Holloway exclaimed. “Right now, I’m so keen on track.”

Watch the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on NBC and Peacock.