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sports Wednesday 23 august 2023

Easy as 1, 2, 3: Grant Holloway breezes in 110-meter hurdles for his

3rd straight world title

By PAT GRAHAM had a great tradition" in
AP Sports Writer the hurdles, said Renaldo
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) Nehemiah, the former
— Posing for the cameras, world record holder in
Grant Holloway counted the event who's now the
out his back-to-back-to- agent for newly crowned
back 110-meter hurdles women's 100-meter cham-
world titles, raising one fin- pion Sha'Carri Richardson.
ger, then another, then an- "So you have guys who just
other. want to be in that conver-
It was as easy as "1, 2, 3." sation as well."
Holloway made his race Parchment has taken to
look almost that simple, studying just how effortless-
too. ly Holloway blasts out of the
The American bolted to a starting blocks. It's some-
fast start and never looked thing Parchment wants to
back Monday night at become even more profi-
world championships, cient at before the Jamai-
breezing to a victory in can defends his Olympic ti-
12.96 seconds that elevat- tle at the Paris Games next
ed him into elite company. summer.
Holloway joined Greg Fos- "He's the top man right
ter as the only 110 hurdler Grant Holloway, of the United States, left, cross the line to win the gold medal in the Men's 110-me- now," Parchment said.
to win three straight world ters hurdles final during the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Monday, Aug. "Grant is like a benchmark
titles. 21, 2023. so I have to watch him to
"Remarkable," Holloway ex- Associated Press see what I can learn from
claimed. phase. Now that we're out reigning Olympic cham- this success and continue him."
Before Holloway entered of the restoration phase, it's pion Hansle Parchment of to take the sport to high Like any good hurdler, Hol-
the scene, the mighty making sure I'm there." Jamaica by .11 seconds. hopes." loway avoids looking too
American hurdlers were in He insisted his celebration Holloway's U.S. teammate, Only fitting that Holloway far down the road. That's
a little bit of a hurdling funk shortly after the race while Daniel Roberts, finished achieved his feat on the why Paris isn't on his mind
(a funk for them anyway). standing in the middle of with the bronze. 40th anniversary of Foster just yet. He wound up with
They'd gone two straight the track was spontaneous. "When Hansle and Daniel starting his at the inaugural silver at the Tokyo Games.
worlds without a gold in the This wasn't a pre-planned and the rest of that field is 1983 world championships "I'm just going to enjoy
110. sort of thing, because noth- in that race, you can never in Helsinki. Foster won again this," Holloway said. "When
That just wasn't like them. ing can be planned with count anybody out," said in 1987 and '91. As for over- we get to that outdoor
"We were in a drought," said 10 hurdles standing in the the 25-year-old Holloway, all world titles among 110 phase, I'll write down my
Holloway, who won his first way. who went to high school hurdles, Allen Johnson has goals, and put them in my
world title in Doha in 2019 With the camera still in Virginia before starring four. Another American, Ar- book. I'll challenge myself
and again last summer in zoomed in, Holloway held at the University of Florida. ies Merritt, holds the world- and I will challenge my
Oregon. "It was my goal is up all three fingers one final "The main thing is really record holder by running team to make sure I fulfill
to get us out of the drought time before bouncing off to just to continue to build off 12.80 seconds in 2012. those goals. We'll make it
and I called it a restoration celebrate. He edged out this consistency, build off "Historically, we've have happen."q

WNBA teams ready for sprint to the

postseason with coveted spots on the line

By DOUG FEINBERG to celebrate last season's playoffs is a best-of-three
AP Basketball Writer championship thrown in format still with the better
WNBA teams are ready there as well. seeded team hosting the
for their sprint to the finish New York, which took over first two games of the series.
of the regular season with the top spot in the AP AP WNBA POLL
coveted playoff spots and WNBA power poll for the Buoyed by its win in the
positioning up for grabs. first time this season, has a Commissioner's Cup title
Las Vegas, New York and three-game lead on Con- game, New York took over
Connecticut have already necticut for the second- the No. 1 spot in the power
clinched spots in the post- seed. Those teams play on poll. The Liberty routed the Los Angeles Sparks guard Layshia Clarendon (25) drives to the
season. The Aces hold a Thursday and once more Aces on their homecourt basket between Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray (12) and
forward Cayla George (13) during the first half of a WNBA bas-
three-game lead on the on Sept. 1. 82-63. Las Vegas won the ketball game Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023, in Las Vegas.
Liberty for the top seed with Los Angeles has been the regular season matchup Associated Press
the teams set to meet one hottest team of the group, two days later 88-75.
last time in the regular sea- winning four straight, in- Dallas moved into third with nix rounded out the poll. a 20-point victory in Con-
son on Aug. 28. Las Vegas cluding handing the Aces Connecticut and Atlanta PLAYER OF THE WEEK necticut. Other players
is beginning a difficult four- their first regular season came after the Wings. At- Arike Ogunbowale aver- receiving votes included
game road trip over the loss at home this year. The lanta, Los Angeles and Min- aged 23.5 points, 6 as- Nneka Ogwumike and Lay-
next week that ends in New Sparks are currently in the nesota were the next three. sists and 4.5 rebounds to shia Clarendon of Los An-
York. The Aces also have a eighth spot. Washington, Chicago and help Dallas win both its geles and Kelsey Mitchell
White House visit on Friday The first round of the WNBA Seattle. Indiana and Phoe- game last week, including of Indiana.q