Jamaican Hansle Parchment delivered one of many greatest shocks of the Tokyo Olympics athletics competitors by beating world champion Grant Holloway within the males’s 110 metres hurdles remaining on Thursday.
Holloway had not misplaced a hurdles race since August final yr and was the overwhelming favorite after breaking the world indoor report over 60m hurdles this yr and lacking the 110m report by one-hundredth of a second on the US Olympic trials.
The 23-year-old burst out of the blocks and seemed set for gold till shedding momentum over the ultimate two hurdles.
Parchment, 31, surged previous him to win in a season-best time of 13.04 and add the gold medal to his London Olympic bronze.
Holloway got here dwelling in 13.09 to take silver with Jamaican Ronald Levy third in 13.10.
Parchment was shocked to have toppled Holloway.
“The best feeling, the best feeling, I’ve labored so arduous. It is unbelievable that I caught this man,” he added.
“Numerous instances, after the ultimate hurdle, I am type of leaning too early, and my coach jogged my memory to run via the road — and that is what I did.” The person who was speculated to pose the largest problem to Holloway in Tokyo was not within the race. Omar McLeod, the 2016 Olympic champion, hit the primary hurdle on the Jamaican trials in late June and didn’t make the reduce.
Parchment didn’t run a 110 hurdles race in any respect final yr resulting from harm. In his first race in 2021 he clocked 13.49 in June, his time once more affected by harm.
Parchment was solely third on the trials and completed second in his warmth and semi-final in Tokyo however managed to convey his finest when it mattered to make sure the gold medal will stay in Jamaica.
America has dominated the 110 hurdles on the Olympics, successful 19 of the 28 gold medals on provide earlier than Tokyo.
On a scorching and humid morning on the Olympic Stadium, Holloway got here into the race underneath appreciable strain.
America have gained a gold medal in a males’s particular person operating occasion at each Olympics relationship again to the inaugural Video games in 1896, excluding 1980 once they boycotted.
However they’ve drawn a clean in Tokyo thus far.
Holloway stated the Olympic strain acquired to him just a little.
“All people is aware of I will get out robust. Now it simply comes to some extent the place I’ve acquired to complete robust,” stated Holloway.
“I simply assume the nerves, the large environment acquired the most effective of me just a little bit. However I am younger, I’ve acquired quite a lot of races underneath my belt so I am going to take this with a grain of salt and I maintain transferring ahead.
“This was not the result that I wished however it permits me to say I am an Olympic medallist.” Reuters
