Grant Holloway Reveals the Major Key To Setting a National Record the Day After a Pentathlon


On Sunday at New Balance Nationals, Grant Holloway defended his national title and broke a three year-old national record in the 60 hurdles. His 7.53 time for 60 broke the old national record by 0.04, and his 7.00 55H time en route broke Wayne Davis's national record from 2009. Holloway also won the pentathlon (we interviewed him after that, too) on Saturday; his future Florida teammates Noah and Josephus Lyles won the 60, 200, and 4x200 on Sunday.  Below is our interview with Holloway after the hurdles.


MileSplit: How did you come back from that pentathlon yesterday? What was the major key to coming back from the 1000 to the 60 today?

Grant Holloway: The major key was, I just stayed calm the whole week. Of course I'm going to have nerves, because track & field is kind of like my life. So whenever you care about something, of course you're going to have nerves. I just had to stay calm, and honestly I just had fun throughout the whole time I was here.

Not once did I think about "How am I going to defend this race, how am I going to do it?" I went out and just did it.

From there, like you said, pure emotion at the end of the race. You saw me run over to hug Coach Harper. My mother texted me, I'm going to see her right now. I'm just on cloud nine right now. I can't say-I don't think nobody can say that they're a two-time national champion, other than Josephus.

[Note: this interview was before Noah Lyles won the 200 on Sunday] 

It's a blessing, it really is. 

He now has three, and you now have three, so you guys are tied-

I'm still the better of the Lyles brothers.

How awesome is it that-not to jinx anyone, but if Noah wins the 200, it'll be a complete sweep of every event you guys entered-how does it feel to be going to college next year with such a great group of guys?

They're my brothers, I love 'em to death. But like I said, y'all gonna stop calling me part of the Lyles brothers. They Holloway brothers now. After what I did, they gotta take my last name for it.

Honestly, I can't wait for this next season to come along. Like I said, it's a blessing. Nobody can really say they're going to college with-what is it, six or five-six-time national champions. It's a blessing, it really is. 

Watch the group interview with the three Lyles-Holloway bros after the meet: