WIC Glasgow 24 preview: 60m hurdles

Men’s 60m hurdles

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The last time Grant Holloway was beaten in a 60m hurdles race was in 2014, when he finished second as a 16-year-old at the US High School Indoor Nationals in New York.

A decade on, having been racing as the world record-holder since 2021, the three-time world 110m hurdles champion will be determined to maintain his dominance in the event at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow 24.

It was en route to winning his first world indoor 60m hurdles title in Belgrade two years ago that Holloway matched the world record of 7.29 he set in Madrid in 2021. That record-equalling time came in the semifinals in Belgrade and Holloway went on to get gold later that day in 7.39.

His 7.29 remained the world record until 16 February, when the 26-year-old improved to 7.27 in the heats at the US Indoor Championships in Albuquerque. With his place for Glasgow secured thanks to a wild card entry as the World Athletics Indoor Tour winner for 2023, he decided not to contest the final.

That was Holloway’s last race before his world indoor title defence and it followed performances of 7.35 in Boston on 4 February and 7.32 in Lievin six days later. 

Holloway has now dipped under 7.40 in 23 60m hurdles races. Five of those performances have been achieved this year alone, and no other man in history has reached double figures.

“I knew it was going to be a good one after I got out of the blocks,” Holloway said in Albuquerque, adding that retaining his title in Glasgow is the “main goal” of the season.

Because of his wild card entry, Holloway is set to be joined by two other US athletes in this event: Trey Cunningham and Cameron Murray. Cunningham, the 2022 world 110m hurdles silver medallist, continued his comeback after injury by winning the US title in a season’s best of 7.39, just 0.01 off the PB he recorded in 2022. He was also second behind Holloway in Boston and third in New York seven days later.

Murray, meanwhile, is in PB form this season and he clocked 7.45 to secure national silver behind Cunningham in Albuquerque.

Joint third behind Holloway and Cunningham on this season’s top list are Jason Joseph and Just Kwaou-Mathey. World 110m hurdles finalist Joseph retained his Swiss 60m hurdles title in 7.43 – the second-fastest time of his career behind the national record of 7.41 he set when winning the European indoor title last year. Kwaou-Mathey improved his PB to 7.43 when finishing second behind Holloway in Lievin. He went on to finish second at the French Championships behind Wilhem Belocian, who won in 7.44 – 0.02 off the PB he set in 2021.

Among those joining them in Glasgow will be David King and Tade Ojora, representing the host nation, plus Italian record-holder Lorenzo Ndele Simonelli, who won at the World Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Madrid in 7.46, Spain’s Asier Martinez and Enrique Llopis, and Polish champion Jakub Szymanski.

 

Women’s 60m hurdles

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Two world 60m hurdles record-holders will be on show at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow 24 as Bahamian star Devynne Charlton headlines the women’s event.

Charlton, who secured world indoor silver in Belgrade two years ago, is now favourite for gold following her world record-breaking 7.67 in New York on 11 February, which she followed with 7.68 in Madrid less than two weeks later.

Incredibly, her world record was matched by Tia Jones in the heats at the US Indoor Championships in Albuquerque on 16 February. Jones went on to win the national title in 7.68 but will not be competing in Glasgow.

Charlton has achieved four of the eight fastest performances of the year as she also clocked 7.75 in Texas and 7.76 in Boston.

“I set myself all of these goals,” she said in Madrid. “I said I wanted to win the World Indoor Tour and break the world indoor record and I want to be a world indoor champion, so I’m just ticking all of the boxes. There’s just one more to go.

“If this is any preview to the World Indoors, then I’d say I’m on the right track.”

Charlton’s world record puts her more than a tenth of a second ahead of her rivals when it comes to season’s bests, but there are a number of athletes who will be looking to close the gap in Glasgow.

Dutch two-time European indoor champion Nadine Visser got closest to Charlton in Madrid and she’s also No.2 behind the Bahamian on the entry list for Glasgow. Visser, who claimed world indoor bronze in 2018, ran 7.78 to miss her PB by just 0.01 in Madrid, while Poland’s Pia Skrzyszowska was third in 7.83. Skrzyszowska, the European 100m hurdles champion, had gone quicker in Torun as she clocked 7.81 to finish second, 0.01 behind Visser.

They will clash again in Glasgow and are separated by just 0.01 when it comes to PBs – Visser’s best being 7.77 and Skrzyszowska’s 7.78.

Sitting between them on this season’s top list is Masai Russell, who recorded 7.79 in the heats of the US Indoor Championships, going on to finish third in the final. She’s joined on the US team by Christina Clemons, the 2018 world indoor silver medallist.

Cyrena Samba-Mayela defends the title she won in Belgrade two years ago, fresh from a win in 7.87 at the French Indoor Championships.

Others to watch out for include Sarah Lavin, who is in the form of her life and will be looking to build on the PB of 7.91 she set when finishing third in Astana on 27 January. Since then, she has stayed consistent with a PB-equalling performance at the Irish Indoor Championships, 7.92 to finish third behind Visser and Skrzyszowska in Torun, 7.93 in Ostrava and 7.95 in Madrid.

Cindy Sember ran 7.91 in New York and won the British title in 7.99. Others on the entry list to have dipped under eight seconds this year include Jamaica’s Olympic 100m hurdles bronze medallist Megan Tapper and Finland’s European indoor champion Reetta Hurske.

Jess Whittington for World Athletics