CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — He’s the star of the 110-meter hurdles and he’s from right here in Hampton Roads.
Grant Holloway is a Tokyo silver medalist and a favorite to bring home some hardware this summer in Paris. But how did he get here? 10 On Your Side’s Marielena Balouris spoke with his parents about his journey, through their eyes.
Holloway was commanding at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Team Trials in Eugene, Oregon back in June.
“I hate to use the word relieved for him because, you know, there’s so much expectation that not only is he going, but, you know, he should be coming back with a medal,” said Grant’s mother, Tasha Holloway. “So just happy and excited that we’re here at this point.”
At the Trials, Grant became the first person to run the 110m hurdles in less than 13 seconds three times in one meet.
Said Stan Holloway, Grant’s father: “I’m happy for him. You can tell he’s focused, laser driven on the task at hand. ‘I’m ready to go and compete,’ that that’s what he says.”
Before dominating on the world stage, Grant Holloway was an 11-year-old, trying to keep up with his older brother.
“He started running hurdles when he was 11,” Stan Holloway said. “So making that transition from 10 to 11, that’s the first time you can do hurdles for a year around here. So his older brother was already doing hurdles. So for me to make that transition from teaching one to teaching both was pretty easy. And Grant caught on pretty, pretty quick knowing that, hey, ‘I’m racing my brother in practice and I have to beat my brother. If I can beat my brother, I can beat anybody else.’ So that’s always been one of his driving factors of getting fast. If I can hang with my brother, trust you with you guys, I’m going to get you.”
Stan Holloway coached them both. His older son, Trey Holloway, competed on the collegiate level for Hampton University.
Grant Holloway’s collegiate career took him south to the University of Florida.
Coach Mike Holloway, with no known relation, helped Grant get to the next level — a level that’s taken him around the world and will soon take him to Paris.
“That first year, his coach, Coach Holloway, said to us he’s special,” Tasha Holloway said. “Coach Holloway, his job was just to increase the skills and abilities that was already there. So Grant was initially offered a professional contract his sophomore year, but his team, his family decided that, ‘Hey, let’s give it one more year in college,’ and it paid off that third year. He broke the collegiate record.”
In contrast to the Tokyo Olympics and its pandemic-related restrictions, Stan and Tasha Holloway will be in Paris.
“I’m feeling very good about it,” Stan Holloway told 10 On Your Side. “We both are what we call ourselves laser focused. So that’s been the true norm of our goal. Let’s get back. You got to, you know, you got to get to the dance to go to the dance. So we got back to it. Now he’s ready. He understands what he has to do, and I don’t think that’s ever been the issue.”
In a recent interview with 10 On Your Side, Grant Holloway told us their presence means the world.
“They’ve been with me every step of the way,” he said via Zoom before a competition in Monaco. “Even when I didn’t believe in myself, they still believed in me. When I doubted myself, they were right there in my corner. So the biggest thing is doing it for them. Not only myself, but also doing it, because it’s not every day that you can call yourself an Olympian, so you want to be able to work hard and do what you have to do.”
Just as his parents have been with Grant Holloway for every step of his journey, they will finally be alongside him at the Olympics.
“The goal is simple this year, the goal is gold,” said Tasha Holloway. “So now that we’ve gotten the trials behind us, you just move forward and, you know, prepare for the three rounds at the Olympics. And, you know, of course, Grant has a chip on his shoulder. It’s no secret that he was favorite to win in 2021, but it wasn’t his season. You know, we are manifesting that, hey, this is this time this year. It’s time for his gold medal.”