After eight years, the U.S.A. topped the 110m men’s hurdles, ending their drought for a gold medal. Aries Merritt last won gold for the U.S.A. at the 2012 London Olympics. Therefore, the victory of Grant Holloway and Daniel Roberts in the finals is celebrated across the country. Holloway carried his form from the 2023 World Championships in Budapest to secure a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Meanwhile, Roberts, returning from injuries, claimed silver with a time of 13.09 seconds.

Yet, his motivation to claim a medal stems from the history of the U.S.’s performance in the Olympics. After 2012, they endured a dry spell, winning no medals except for Holloway’s silver at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Daniel Roberts and Grant Holloway used this history as motivation to bring the U.S. back to the top. Roberts, in fact, “got some battle scars” after diving to the finish line to claim a silver. Toughness personified!

Daniel Roberts and Grant Holloway’s motivation comes from the U.S. team’s struggles!

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, he mentioned, “Our junior year, we were speaking of how the U.S. was struggling for a while in major championships. We talked about that in college and now to have us going 1 and 2, it’s a good thing.” Roberts took the silver medal by three one-thousandths of a second by jumping onto the line. Simone Biles would have loved that diving bit, viewing from the stands.

It was his second medal in major competitions, following his bronze at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest. It was a rocky ride to the finish line; he hit at least four hurdles before making a stunning dash to the end. However, his coach, 1996 gold medalist Allen Johnson, kept him motivated throughout the race. He mentioned, “No matter what it took, I was going to get me a medal.”