PARIS, FRANCE (WTKR)- Nothing is ever automatic in sports, but Grant Holloway might be the closest thing to it there is.
The Chesapeake native made his 110 meter high hurdle Olympic semifinal race look easy Wednesday afternoon, cruising into the final with a winning time of 12.98 seconds, well ahead of Spain's Enrique Llopis, who finished second in the heat in 13.17 seconds. Holloway's effort was the fastest semifinal time clocked.
"I just wanted to make sure I came out, made it to the next round and be better than I was two days ago, just keep the rhythm going," Holloway told the NBC Olympic broadcast following his event. "I liked the start, I looked the finish way better than I was two days ago, so I'm happy."
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Chesapeake's Holloway cruises to Olympic preliminary win
Now only one race separates Holloway from his first Olympic gold medal. That's one of the few accolades that he has yet to achieve during his decorated career thus far. The Grassfield product earned the silver medal during the 2021 Tokyo games, finishing runner-up to Jamaica's Hansle Parchment. Parchment competed in Holloway's semifinal heat Wednesday afternoon, finishing third in a time of 13.19 seconds, which was fast enough to earn him a place in the finals.
"I know I've been trained to be an Olympic gold medalist," Holloway declared. "Now it's just up to me just to come out here tomorrow and execute it. It's nobody's race but mine. I just want to make sure I come out here and worry about my lane, my space."
All three Americans advanced to Thursday's final. Holloway will be joined by Daniel Roberts and Freddie Crittendon, both of whom finished second in their respective semifinal heats.
The 110 meter high hurdle finals will get going at 3:45 PM Eastern on Thursday.
