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"It means the world to officially have it
complete," Holloway told reporters. "To complete the career
Grand Slam is what I've been wanting. I'm beside myself right
now. So happy about everything going on."
U.S. teammate Daniel Roberts lunged at the finish line before
tumbling to the track to claim silver in 13.09 seconds, beating
Jamaica's bronze medalist Rasheed Broadbell by three-thousandths
of a second in a photo finish.
Holloway, surprisingly beaten by Jamaica's Hansle Parchment at
the Tokyo Olympics, had downplayed talk that he desperately
needed a victory in Paris.
"I knew I was in shape, I knew I was capable of completing this
feat. I officially did it," said Holloway, who jokingly wiped
away fake tears after ringing the stadium's victory bell.
"I'm looking forward to what's to come. The future is so bright.
Everything else that I can do, I know it's going to be great."
What is to come could well be a world record. His career best
time of 12.81 is just a hundredth off the record set by American
Aries Merritt in 2012.
"I've been hurdling so well this year, I'm in great shape, I
just want to keep this going," he said.
As often happens in Holloway's races, the mystery was who would
come second, and there were tense moments before the silver and
bronze medalists' names flashed up on the screen.
"I've got battle scars from that race," Roberts said. "It was
very intense, I was hitting hurdles. But I made up my mind that
I wasn't going to let that stop me, I was going to keep going,
keep fighting, run through that line.
Broadbell was thrilled with the bronze.
"I saw my dad crying," he said. "I know he feels good that all
the dedication has finally paid off. I know he's not going to
sleep for probably a week."
Tokyo champion Parchment finished eighth.
(Reporting by Lori Ewing, editing by Ed Osmond and Bill Berkrot) [© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
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