Last year, Grant Holloway was inches away from reclaiming the Diamond League title, just like he did in 2022. With four wins on the circuit—Xiamen, Suzhou, Oslo, and Monaco—he dominated the men’s 110m hurdles and looked unstoppable. 2024 was easily the most triumphant season of his career. Not stopping here, Holloway then went on to fill the one glaring hole in his resume, something he missed out on in Tokyo–a gold medal at the Olympic Games! It was a season that marked redemption. But 2025 has been a different story—one that’s unfolding with far more questions than answers…

This season, Holloway has yet to win his first race. In fact, across three Diamond League appearances, he’s only made it to the podium once. For a man who has dominated global championships and routinely clocked sub-13 performances, such a start is both unfamiliar and unsettling. And with the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo fast approaching, the question is loud: Should we be concerned about Grant Holloway? Well, Justin Gatlin doesn’t want to look at the smaller picture here.

On the latest episode of his Ready Set Go podcast from June 29, the 2004 Olympic champion broke down Holloway’s recent performances. “He [Grant] seemed not as sharp and aggressive as he usually is over the hurdle and off hurdles,” Gatlin observed. “Right. So that tells me he might be a little rusty. That’s it.” Rusty—not broken.

According to Gatlin, Holloway’s early-season races are more like high-level training sessions than make-or-break showdowns. “I think he has time,” he reassured. And Gatlin isn’t just talking blindly. He points to the numbers: Holloway has run four 110m hurdle races this year, and despite a nagging knee injury that caused swelling “like a balloon,” he’s still clocking in around 13.1 seconds in nearly every meet.

“Two years ago, 13.1 would have won races for him,” Gatlin noted. The level of competition has risen, yes—but Gatlin’s confidence hasn’t wavered. He believes the three-time world champion will rise again, sharper and more dangerous than ever, when it truly counts. A track and field analyst echoed the sentiment: Holloway is simply playing the long game. Championships, not early-season form, are his real battleground. And if history is anything to go by, doubting Grant Holloway has never been a wise bet.

Grant Holloway still has the fire burning 

While many fans and critics have started raising eyebrows at Holloway’s early-season form, track analyst Anderson Emerole urged everyone to keep things in perspective. “Let’s not get jaded by the fact that, you know, Grant has run 12 seconds a whole bunch of times,” Emerole said on his podcast. “13.1 is still very, very fast. So for him to open back up with 13.1, knowing he has a wild card to the World Championships … his goal is September.”

Emerole believes Holloway is simply pacing himself for when it matters most. “Now he’s going to make some progress. I mean, by the end of this season, Grant Holloway is going to be running 12 seconds, guaranteed,” he said. “And, in my opinion, he’s still the favorite for the gold medal at the World Championships.” With nearly 100 days left until the Tokyo Worlds, there’s time—and plenty of it—for Holloway to sharpen his edge. More importantly, the reigning Olympic champion isn’t hiding from the challenge. He embraces it.

“The thing about the hurdles is none of us are scared of anybody. At every Diamond League, there’s gonna be a fierce battle,” Holloway said ahead of the Paris Diamond League. That’s the nature of the men’s 110m hurdles—relentless, unpredictable, unforgiving. And Holloway knows it better than anyone. But if history has taught us anything, it’s this: count Grant Holloway out at your own risk.