Grant Holloway isn’t just a world champion. He’s a symbol of American dominance in the 110m hurdles. For years, his explosiveness, consistency, and confidence have made him feel almost untouchable. Almost. But now concerns have hit a fever pitch after a rocky April stretch that had longtime supporters sounding the alarm. First, Holloway suffered an unexpected loss to rising star Trey Cunningham at the Tom Jones Invitational on April 12.
Then came a troubling performance at the Xiamen Diamond League on April 26. He clipped a hurdle awkwardly, eased off the gas, and drifted to a jarring 10th-place finish. For a man known for perfection over barriers, this marked a rare and unsettling sight. To make matters more uneasy, Holloway has now been replaced in the upcoming Shanghai Diamond League on May 3rd by another American hurdler, the 25-year-old specialist Eric Edwards, who’s been gaining ground in the shadows.
Track & Field Gazette took to X with a post that sent ripples through the fan base. “Grant Holloway has withdrawn from the Diamond League taking place this weekend.” For a sport built on rhythm and repetition, sudden change feels seismic. And Holloway’s absence wasn’t just noted. It was felt. Until recently, his name was locked into the men’s 110m hurdles entries, and fans were gearing up for another high-profile showdown.
Grant Holloway has withdrawn from the Diamond League taking place this weekend.
He has now been replaced by Eric Edwards. https://t.co/VuAuGTc5qF
— Track & Field Gazette (@TrackGazette) April 29, 2025
But almost overnight, his name is now replaced quietly by someone far less familiar to the global spotlight, Eric Edwards, leaving fans wondering whether this was a precaution or something far more serious. From outside the American track and field community, Eric Edwards provides the appearance of a recent addition to the field.
The 25-year-old hurdler shows himself to be worthy of admiration through his distinguished track record. He captured first place at the 2017 Pan-Am U20 championships and the U.S. junior championship in 2017, yet Eric Edwards made headlines in high school after his awesome 110 m H race at 13.25 seconds. Good enough for No. 8 all-time in U.S. high school history.
His best sprint hurdles times include 13.32 seconds in the 110 mH, along with 7.76 seconds in the 60 mH, which positions him as one of America’s top track and field athletes. The appearance at Diamond League meets signals an important step in his career because it suggests a brief transition of leadership even though Holloway remains the world’s premier sprint hurdler.
But the heart of this story still centers on Holloway and his current vulnerability. Losing a race is one thing. Losing back-to-back races with visible struggle? What followed in Xiamen was something far more unsettling. In what should have been a routine outing, Holloway landed awkwardly over a hurdle, clearly off-balance and laboring, and ultimately coasted through the finish line in 10th place with a time of 13.72 seconds.
With his body now showing signs of wear and with a hungry new generation emerging fast, the cracks in the champion’s armor are becoming harder to ignore.
Fans fear the worst as Grant Holloway pulls out amid injury concerns
People who follow Grant Holloway have consistently respected his unstoppable dedication to athletic competition. Since bursting into the elite scene, he’s been a force that rarely wavers. Dominating the 110m hurdles with a technique so smooth it looked choreographed. Even in 2025, with a serious knee scare earlier in the year, Holloway still powered through.
Holloway claimed the gold medal in Nanjing at the World Athletics Indoor Championships. The athlete ran the 60m hurdles final in 7.42 seconds. But now, as news breaks of his Diamond League withdrawal and a string of tough races behind him, the same fans who once cheered his grit are voicing concern. As one supporter put it bluntly, “He’s been pushing his body way too hard since the 2021 season.”
The timing of that fan comment hits harder when you rewind to Holloway’s recent confession on the Beyond The Record podcast. In the April 17 episode, he revealed an alarming moment. Trying to front squat 435 lbs when his knee suddenly popped. “Thirty minutes later, my knee swelled up like a balloon,” he said, casually recounting what sounds like every athlete’s nightmare.
For fans, it wasn’t just a detail. It was a crack in the foundation. That invincible aura? Gone. “Man, Grant has gone and injured himself; this sucks,” read one reaction online. Another user struck an emotional chord, writing, “Uff, this is harsh. I think he has put a lot of strain on himself.” These aren’t just knee-jerk reactions. They’re rooted in years of watching a generational talent push himself to the brink for the sport he loves.
Yet underneath the heartbreak, there’s also reverence. Even fans who feel let down by his absence can’t deny what he’s given to the sport and them. From his 2022 Diamond League title in Zurich to a 2024 season that saw him win four meets before an untimely exit from the final, Holloway has been a constant highlight reel. And he’s done it all with a smile and swagger that fans cling to.
“Even Rome was brought down in the end, such a shame,” one fan lamented, capturing the bittersweet feeling of watching a titan falter. Holloway isn’t just another athlete to these people. He’s a standard. Still, there’s a thread of hope and even affection woven through the concern. Because for all his accomplishments, Holloway has also earned something rarer than titles.
Trust! Fans believe in him. They want him to stop, rest, and recover. “The amount of work this man puts in, he surely needs rest,” one supporter wrote, echoing the sentiment of a community that’s rooting not just for medals, but for the man himself. Maybe this pause isn’t the end. Maybe, just maybe, it’s the necessary breath before another unstoppable run.
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