It seemed like nothing could stop Grant Holloway. Not competitors, not pressure, not even time. But in a season where everything looked golden on the outside, a dark twist was unfolding behind closed doors. Fans who had celebrated his record-breaking performances didn’t know they were cheering on a man battling through physical agony and mental strain. Now, following a bombshell revelation by an US track and field legend, it’s clear: the issue with Grant wasn’t just the knee. It was something much deeper, and it’s been lurking for years.

The Olympic gold medalist had dropped his own hint on the Beyond The Records podcast. He shared a shocking moment that would rattle any elite athlete. Attempting to squat 435lbs, Holloway said, “Thirty minutes later, my knee swelled up like a balloon.” That injury seemed sudden, but Coach Mike Holloway recently peeled back the curtain to reveal how long Grant has been pushing through inner chaos. And it’s not just physical.

Coach Holloway, speaking candidly on the Ready Set Go podcast, recalled the moment he knew Grant’s biggest hurdle wasn’t on the track, it was within. “He’s a little bit AD something. I don’t know what it is. He just wouldn’t be patient,” the coach said, describing the early days of training when Grant struggled to transition to a seven-step approach. His impatience wasn’t just frustrating, it was dangerous. A lack of control, rushing into execution, and resisting structure. Those traits haunted him long before injury struck. Even back in high school, his father warned that Grant wasn’t strong enough yet for the shift. Yet he pushed anyway.

That drive, wild and unrelenting, was a double-edged sword. In 2019, after a crushing defeat at the SECs, Holloway stormed into his coach’s office and demanded answers: “What’s wrong with me?” The frustration was raw. But his coach didn’t coddle him. He posed a challenge instead—Will you let this define you? Grant accepted. A month later, he was the NCAA champion and collegiate record holder. And in the heat of that comeback, he showed just how much turmoil he was hiding behind the swagger. After smashing the record, he did his “phone call” celebration. When asked who he was calling, he joked, “I was calling God.” It was his way of masking just how much that moment meant to him and how deeply he needed it.

Now, with the knee injury putting his season in jeopardy, Coach Holloway’s words hit harder. Grant’s intensity has always been his superpower. But maybe, just maybe, it’s also the thing that’s catching up with him. The speed, the pressure, the unrelenting mindset. It built a champion, but it may also be the reason that same champion now finds himself forced to pause.

The night Grant Holloway discovered his greatness

Grant Holloway vividly remembers the day everything changed. Not a world championship or the Olympics, but a cool evening in Zurich during the 2022 Wanda Diamond League Final. Already a recognized talent in the sprint hurdles, Holloway knew he was good, but that race, against a stacked field, made him believe he could be great.

“When I won the title in Zurich in 2022, I think that was when I turned around my whole career,” Grant recalled. He added, “I was really good before that, but on that day I took out a crazy good field and I was like: this is what good hurdling looks like.” The victory wasn’t just about a time or a trophy, it was about self-realization. That performance set off a chain reaction: a dominant World Indoor Tour the following year, a string of 13-flat performances, and the calm, quiet certainty that by the time Budapest rolled around, he was walking in as the man to beat.

While Olympic gold and world titles often dominate headlines, it was Zurich that quietly redefined Holloway’s identity. “That Diamond League Final in Zurich in 2022 was the race that turned around my career,” he said, placing that moment above the glitz of his later accomplishments. It wasn’t about the spotlight; it was about a shift in mindset. From then on, Holloway didn’t just run to win, he ran like someone who knew he belonged at the top.

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