Last man standing Holloway defends hurdles crown

EUGENE: Grant Holloway retained his 110m hurdles crown after a chaotic final at the World Championships on Sunday that saw rivals Hansle Parchment and Devon Allen dramatically ruled out of the race.

Holloway, the 2019 gold medallist, made up for his bitterly disappointing Olympic flop in Tokyo last year to take gold in 13.03sec ahead of compatriot Trey Cunningham (13.08sec) and Spain’s Asier Martinez, who took bronze in 13.17sec.

The drama of an eagerly anticipated final, however, all came before Holloway sprinted to victory at Eugene’s Hayward Field. Parchment, who had stunned Holloway to win Olympic gold last year, was the first to fall by the wayside.

The 32-year-old clipped a hurdle during the warm-up and immediately needed treatment for what looked like a thigh injury. There was another twist moments later as the remaining hurdlers lined up on the start line.

Allen, the fastest man in the world over the distance this year, was left stunned after being adjudged to have false started by just 0.01sec. The 27-year-old -- a local favourite competing on the same track where he starred as a college athlete -- tried to protest before trudging down the athletes’ tunnel in disappointment.

It marked an agonising end for Allen, who signed for the Philadelphia Eagles as a wide receiver earlier this year and is set to now pursue a career in the NFL.

With Parchment and Allen missing, Holloway was left competing with empty lanes either side of him. “I felt I was at practice,” Holloway said afterwards. “In athletics shit happens. You just refocus and execute.”

The American admitted that he had sympathy for Allen’s marginal false start call. “I didn’t think he false started at all,” he said. “But technology says otherwise. It’s one of those things. It’s athletics. Anything can happen in track and field. It is what it is.”

Allen meanwhile expressed frustration at the cruel turn of events. “I’m sure I’ll sulk in a bit. But it’s just frustrating,” he said. “I’m ready to run and it would have been great to race. “That margin of error is so small. But I do know that I have the quickest reaction time in the world.

“There’s not really much I can do. It’s just one race which is frustrating. Track and field is so difficult. You train a whole year for one competition that lasts 13 seconds and that’s that. Your identity is kind of based on that one competition which is frustrating. It happens and I’ll learn from it - and I’ll make sure I don’t react as fast next time.”