Brazilian hurdler Alison dos Santos has opened up in one of the insightful interviews ever about his intense rivalry with American sprinter Chris Robinson.
Dos Santos was asked about his “beef” with Chris Robinson, he ended up laughing, this is after a reporter had seen him running towards where Robinson was being interviewed.
“He’s always talking trash, but I love him. He’s a great athlete, and that’s what makes our rivalry so exciting. We’re always really competitive against each other. Being able to compete with him is just amazing.”
At the Grand Slam track meet in Philadelphia, the Brazilian Star took the win with a blazing time of 48.11 seconds. Close behind was the USA’s Trevor Bassitt finishing second in 48.25, and Chris Robinson rounding out the podium with 48.76. However , he admitted he had a rough start in the 400m hurdles, hitting the first hurdle unexpectedly.
“We’ve been training hard and were ready to do something great in the hurdles. But I was struggling at the beginning, so I changed my mindset. I told myself, ‘Don’t do anything chaotic, just run with the race.’ And I was able to finish strong.”
Describing the 400m sprint, dos Santos said,
“It was a war. Everyone was really close, fighting hard in the last 80 metres.”
He recalled the final stretch vividly:
“As I reached the last straight, I saw Chris coming. I also felt Trevor nearby and told myself, ‘Hold it! Hold it!’ I could feel Chris closing in, and I thought, ‘No, not Chris, not today!’ I was pushing hard for second place, but Chris ended up getting it. That was amazing.”
Looking Ahead with Determination
Despite the tough competition, Alison dos Santos remains focused on his goal.
“I want to leave here as the Slam champion. The competition might be easier for Kenny now, but we’ll see who’s hungry. It’s going to be a great race.”
Following the success of the condensed schedule at Grand Slam Track Philadelphia, league commissioner Michael Johnson announced that the upcoming Los Angeles Slam will adopt the two-day format.
The LA Slam will be the fourth and final event in the 2025 series. Several top athletes, including sprint leader Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and short hurdles winner Ackera Nugent, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, and Kenny Bednarek, the only unbeaten athlete in the series so far, have already made headlines with consistent performances across the circuit.
