Can Grant Holloway turn his season around… in Paris? With the world championships in Tokyo creeping closer, it’s officially now-or-never for the sport’s top hurdlers, and no one’s under the spotlight more than Holloway. The three-time world champ and Olympic gold medalist has had a rough start to 2025. Remember his Diamond League opener in Xiamen? He was leading… until the eighth hurdle. Then, boom, momentum gone. Rhythm lost. He stumbled across the line in a shocking 13.72 seconds. Last place. Yeah, not what you expect from that guy. Turns out, there was a reason.
By early May, word got out that Holloway had been dealing with a minor injury. So now, with the Diamond League stop in Paris coming up on June 20, it’s not just about the race, it’s about redemption. And honestly? After 9 months of silence, the Paris Diamond League might be the perfect place for it. Why?
Because this track brings back all the right vibes for Grant Holloway, in a pre-meet clip posted by Track and Field Gazette, he couldn’t hide the nostalgia: “Paris means a lot. I mean, just damn — that was last August, you know? I won my first Olympic gold. So Paris is… is… I’m always gonna enjoy coming to Paris just based off the memories.” And now? He’s back in the arena, confident and ready to scrap. “Paris, in general, is a great place for me just to go out, compete, have a little bit of fun, let my hair down, not literally and just see what happens.” But don’t mistake that chill tone for a lack of fire.
Grant Holloway ready to race at the Paris Diamond League tomorrow.pic.twitter.com/wfq12zKkfl
— Track & Field Gazette (@TrackGazette) June 19, 2025
“The thing about the hurdles is none of us are scared of anybody,” Holloway added. “At every Diamond League, there’s gonna be a fierce battle.” So, who will be his competitor? Well, he’s got serious heat coming at him. Trey Cunningham is looking sharp this season with a 13.00s clocking, Freddie Crittenden’s been super consistent under 13, and Jamal Britt just took a big win in the Grand Slam series. Then you’ve got the hometown heroes, Wilhelm Belocian, fresh off a World Indoor silver, and Just Kwaou-Mathey, who grabbed bronze and has a PB of 13.09s.
And it doesn’t stop there. Jason Joseph, who just won in Rome, Spain’s Enrique Llopis, and European champ Asier Martinez are all in the mix. Long story short? Holloway’s got a stacked lineup to handle; this race is going to be wild. So here’s the real question: Can Paris work its magic one more time and light the fire for Grant Holloway’s comeback? We’re about to find out. But let’s be honest, the man’s resume already does the talking
When the hurdles get real, Grant Holloway’s outdoor struggles
Grant Holloway kicked off 2025 in beast mode indoors. He stormed to a world-leading 7.36s at the USATF Indoor Championships and followed it up with a third straight World Indoor title in Nanjing, clocking 7.42s. That win extended his mind-blowing unbeaten streak indoors to 94 races, a run that’s been alive since 2014. But things took a turn when the outdoor season began. In his opener at the Tom Jones Invitational, he ran 13.18s in the 110m hurdles, solid, but not the Holloway-level explosion we’re used to. Then came a sluggish 13.72s at the Xiamen Diamond League, far from his usual 12.9–13.1 range.
The dip in form wasn’t just rust; it had a backstory. Grant Holloway revealed he suffered a knee injury during a 435lb front squat session, saying, “I heard it pop, and 30 minutes later, my knee swelled like a balloon.” Despite that, he powered through indoors, but admitted he had been “guarding the knee,” even running with Kinesio tape to manage swelling. There were also whispers of a hamstring niggle in early May, further limiting his outdoor prep. He even pulled out of a meet to focus on recovery. As one insider put it, Holloway is “playing it smart with Paris and the World Championships in mind,” prioritizing long-term health over short-term results. Now, all eyes are on Paris to see if the champ can bounce back.
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