HomeAthleticsATHLETICS: Olympic hurdles champ Holloway takes 80-race indoor win streak to USATF Indoor Nationals this weekend

ATHLETICS: Olympic hurdles champ Holloway takes 80-race indoor win streak to USATF Indoor Nationals this weekend

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≡ USATF INDOOR NATIONALS ≡

Anyone who has watched NBC’s coverage of indoor meets featuring Paris Olympic 110 m hurdles champion Grant Holloway knows that he hasn’t been beaten in the 60 m hurdles more than 10 years.

But no one has said exactly how many meets that is … until now.

Holloway is one of the stars expected to compete at the USATF Indoor National Championships this weekend at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island, New York and with some research, The Sports Examiner can offer some clarity on Holloway’s indoor brilliance.

His last loss in the indoor hurdles came at the 2014 New Balance Nationals at The Armory in New York, as a sophomore at Grassfield High School (Chesapeake, Virginia), finishing second on 16 March in 7.93. Isaiah Moore (Cummings HS, Burlington, North Carolina) won in 7.79. Holloway won nine of 11 races in his sophomore season, winning four of six meets.

Then he started his streak:

60 m hurdles (39 inches high school height):
● 2015: 3 wins (1 final) at Grassfield High School
● 2015: 2 wins (1 final) in the 55 m hurdles

● 2016: 4 wins (2 finals) at Grassfield High School, including one pentathlon
● 2016: 4 wins (2 finals) in the 55 m hurdles

60 m hurdles (42 inches open height):
● 2017: 10 wins (5 finals) at Florida ~ NCAA Indoor champ
● 2018: 10 wins (5 finals) at Florida ~ NCAA Indoor champ
● 2019: 8 wins (4 finals) at Florida ~ NCAA Indoor champ
● 2020: 3 wins (1 final)
● 2021: 10 wins (5 finals)
● 2022: 9 wins (5 finals) ~ USATF Indoor, World Indoor Champion
● 2023: 5 wins (3 finals)
● 2024: 8 wins (3 finals) ~ World Indoor Champion
● 2025: 4 wins (2 finals) to 13 February 2025

So, all together, Holloway’s streaks include:

74 wins (36 finals) in 11 seasons in 60 m hurdles (HS and Open)
67 wins (33 finals) in 9 seasons over 42-inch hurdles (Open)
7 wins (3 finals) in 2 high school seasons over 39-inch hurdles
6 wins (3 finals) in 2 high school seasons at 55 m hurdles
80 wins (39 finals) in 11 seasons over 55/60 m hurdles (HS/Open)

He set the current world 60mH record of 7.27 at the USATF Indoor Nationals at Albuquerque, New Mexico (altitude: 1,507 m) in 2024, and owns 13 of the top 16 performances in history, including the top four.

Still just 27, he told NBC’s Lewis Johnson at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, “I accomplished all my goals” and he’s now looking to see just how far he can take hurdling, to places where it’s never been.

He’s not the only star trying to shake things up. Shelby Houlihan, returned from a four-year doping suspension and still the American Record holder at 1,500 m in 3:54.99 from 2019, is back and looking for a 14th national title, in the 1,500 m and/or the 3,000 m. Her U.S. titles:

● 2017 (3): Indoor: mile-2-mile ~ Outdoor: 5,000 m
● 2018 (4): Indoor: 1,500-3,000 m ~ Outdoor: 1,500-5,000 m
● 2019 (4): Indoor: 2-mile ~ Outdoor: 1,500-5000 m ~ Cross Country
● 2020 (2): Indoor: 1,500-3,000 m

Defending champion Nikki Hiltz will be waiting in the 1,500 m.

The meet will select the U.S. team for the World Athletics Indoor Championships from 21-23 March in China. Coming in, out of 24 individual events, the U.S. has seven world leaders, of which five are entered:

Men:
● 60 m: 6.50 (tied), Ronnie Baker
● 400 m: 44.70, Chris Bailey
● 800 m: 1.43.90, Josh Hoey
● 60 m hurdles: 7.36, Holloway

Women:
● 60 m: 7.02, Jacious Sears

American World Leaders not entered include Grant Fisher (men’s 3,000 m) and Amanda Moll (women’s vault).

There are 11 returning champions from 2024: Brian Faust (400 m), Trey Cunningham (60 m hurdles), Chris Nilsen (vault), Daniel Haugh (weight) for the men, and Alexis Holmes (400 m), Hiltz (1,500 m), Miranda Melville (3,000 m walk), Vashti Cunningham (high jump), Katie Moon (vault), Chase Jackson (shot), Erin Reese (weight) for the women. Olympic women’s hurdles champ Masai Russell leads the women’s 60 m hurdles field.

There are some thin fields in this year’s meet, with less than 10 entries in the men’s 3,000 m walk, men’s high jump and weight and the women’s triple jump (just 4), shot put, weight and pentathlon.

Sunday’s session will be shown on NBC and Peacock on Sunday only at 1 p.m. Eastern.

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