American sprint hurdler competes in Spanish city on Wednesday with world record in his sights

Grant Holloway has another crack at Colin Jackson’s long-standing world 60m hurdles record in Madrid on Wednesday (February 24) and the omens are good considering the Spanish city’s history of hosting record-breaking performances.

Maurice Greene, Andre Cason and Leroy Burrell have broken the world 60m flat record in Madrid in the past, whereas the women’s 60m mark has fallen to Nelli Cooman, Merlene Ottey and Irina Privalova in the same city.

Holloway, the 2019 world champion from the United States, has run 7.32 this season – just two hundredths of a second shy of Jackson’s mark, which was set in Sindelfingen in 1994.

“It’s definitely possible,” Holloway told World Athletics. “I’m in great shape.”

“It’s my last race of the indoor season so if the record falls, it falls. If it doesn’t fall, then I want to make sure my race is at a high level.”

This ‘Villa de Madrid’ is the final event in the 2021 World Indoor Tour Gold but the only Brit in action is Andy Pozzi, who lines up in the sprint hurdles with Holloway. A number of Irish athletes are involved, though, such as sprinter Leon Reid and in-form 800m runner Nadia Power.

In the field events, all eyes will be on long jump talent Juan Miguel Echevarria.

For middle-distance fans, women’s world indoor 1500m record-holder Gudaf Tsegay takes on fellow Ethiopian and 3000m world leader in 2021, Lemlem Hailu.

Ethiopians Selemon Barega and Getnet Wale are expected to fight it out in the men’s 1500m, meanwhile, with Poland’s Marcin Lewandowski continuing to hone his form ahead of the European Indoor Championships on his home soil next week.

The events are underway from 15.30 local time and BBC is covering the action online and via its red button. The timetable and results can be found by clicking here and you can follow updates on AW’s twitter feed.