Reigning Olympic 110m hurdles champion Grant Holloway suffered a stunning exit in the semi-finals of the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 2025, missing out on the chance to defend his crown.
The three-time world champion faded badly in the second half of his semifinal on Tuesday (16 September), crossing the line sixth in 13.52 seconds. For a man who has dominated the event in recent years with three consecutive world titles and Olympic gold in Paris 2024, the result was a shock to many inside the packed Olympic Stadium.
Signs of trouble had already been visible in the heats, where Holloway could only manage the fourth fastest time in 13.27 seconds. His season’s best of 13.11 ranked him just 13th in the world coming into Tokyo, a far cry from his lifetime best of 12.80, which is just one hundredth of a second shy of the world record.
In the first semifinal, Jamaica’s Orlando Bennett exploded out of the blocks to take victory in 13.27 seconds, edging Spain’s Enrique Llopis (13.29). Home favorite Shusei Nomoto placed third in 13.31, just ahead of American Dylan Beard, who also clocked 13.31 but missed out on automatic qualification.
The second semifinal produced the day’s biggest upset, with Jamaica’s Tyler Mason storming to a personal best 13.12 seconds to win the heat. Japan’s Rachid Muratake delighted the home fans with second place in 13.17, followed closely by American Ja’Kobe Tharp in 13.19. Holloway struggled throughout and could do no better than sixth, ending his title defense.
Despite the disappointment for Holloway, Tharp and France’s Just Kwaou-Mathey advanced to the final as the fastest non-automatic qualifiers, ensuring a stacked field for the championship showdown.
The stage is now set for a new world champion in the men’s 110m hurdles, the first time since 2017 that the title will not go to Holloway.
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