The anticipated showdown in the 110-meter hurdles never materialized between Chad Zallow (John Kennedy-Warren, OH) and Grant Holloway (Grassfield, VA).
A false start from Holloway left the race wide open for Zallow to take and the senior hurdler took advantage with a wind-aided winning time of 13.19 seconds.
“I wanted to race him,” said the Ohio state champion, about the recent winner of the Caribbean Scholastic Invitational in Cuba. “I know we would have pushed each other. I felt bad for him.”
Zallow’s time, although with a wind advantage, ranks among the top five all-time. The Arcadia champion back in April will have another chance to go head-to-head with Holloway next weekend at the USATF Junior Nationals in Oregon.
“He’ll be down there,” Zallow said., “Hopefully it will be a good clean race next time.”
It’s not often that a junior high runner wins a national title.
But when you’re Tia Jones, the chances aren’t too far-fetched.
The gifted eighth-grader from Georgia lived up to her hype at the New Balance Nationals on Saturday by capturing the 100-meter hurdles with a wind-aided clocking of 13.08, an all-time best and nation No. 1.
Jones, who earned her slot at NBN based on some sensational times at the junior level, including a previous best of 13:42 last year, defeated junior Toriea Marshall of Arlington Sequin (TX), who was second at 13.12.
“It feels really good because I worked really hard for this,” she said. “I have been running track since I was eight years old. My dream is to always be the best in everything.”
- Results: Girls 100H - Boys 110H
- Photos: Girls 100H - Boys 110H