Holloway: ‘World record in 110m hurdles won’t come if we keep talking about it’

Olympic 110m hurdles champion, Grant Holloway says he is not putting unnecessary pressure on himself by thinking about breaking Aries Merritt’s 12-year-old 12.80 world record in the event.

Holloway is in Lausanne for the 11th Wanda Diamond League meeting of the year and says he is out to enjoy himself on the track on Thursday.

Asked at the press conference to herald the 49th edition of Athletissima on Wednesday if he is going to break the world record soon, the American who finally won the elusive Olympic gold medal in Paris said the record will not come as long as people keep talking about it.

‘World record can only happen when we don’t talk so much about it..it will come when I just go out there and put up a good performance and not be thinking about it..the way you guys are talking about it, it’s not going to come like that,’ said the 26-year-old, three-time world champion.

Holloway came closest to breaking the record in June 2021 when he ran 12.81 at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

He has not broken 12.9 since then until June this year when he ran 12.86 to win and punch his ticket to the Paris 2024 Olympics where he ran 12.99 to win the one title he has been desperate to win after coming second three years ago in Tokyo.