Grant Holloway secured his third consecutive world indoor 60m hurdles title with a commanding victory in Nanjing, clocking 7.42 seconds and extending his remarkable 11-year unbeaten streak.
After facing some close competition in the earlier rounds, Holloway was in a league of his own in the final, finishing 0.12 seconds ahead of France’s Wilhem Belocian. China’s Liu Junxi took bronze just 0.01 seconds behind, finishing in 7.55.
The 27-year-old American’s dominance was expected, especially after setting a world-leading time of 7.36 in Lievin last month. In Nanjing, he comfortably topped the heats and semifinals with times of 7.49 and 7.48.
Despite a slightly slow start in the final, the reigning Olympic champion quickly recovered, pulling away from the field to claim gold. Though his winning time of 7.42 was 0.15 seconds short of his own world indoor record, he still won decisively, showing no signs of his unbeaten streak ending anytime soon.
With this victory, Holloway becomes only the second man in World Indoor Championships history to win three 60m hurdles titles, following fellow American Allen Johnson, who won in 1995, 2003, and 2004. However, Holloway is the first athlete to achieve three consecutive titles in the event.
Reflecting on his win, Holloway said, “It was great. This one was a little different. I didn’t have two great rounds, so I had to rely on my experience in the final. But I knew what I needed to do. Everyone kept telling me, ‘You’ve done this a million times before, just do it again.’”
He also hinted at a potential shift in focus, saying, “Winning three indoors and three outdoors I think I’m the first person in history to do that. That’s an amazing stat. I think I can step away from the 60m hurdles and maybe try a new event next year. That’s something to consider.”
For Belocian, the silver medal marked a significant improvement from his eighth-place finish in Belgrade in 2022. The 29-year-old also recently won silver at the European Indoor Championships, making this his first global senior medal. Meanwhile, Liu Junxi gave the home crowd reason to cheer by securing bronze. China had another finalist in the race, with national indoor champion Weibo Qin finishing eighth in 7.72 seconds.
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