American clocks 7.29 to beat the Briton’s long-standing mark by one hundredth of a second at the World Indoor Tour Gold in Madrid

Colin Jackson’s world indoor 60m hurdles record of 7.30 has looked on borrowed time this winter and the in-form Grant Holloway finally broke the Briton’s mark in Madrid on Wednesday (February 24).

Initially the American’s time flashed up as 7.32 and frustratingly outside the record, but after an agonising delay it was confirmed as 7.29 as he took one hundredth of a second off Jackson’s best.

The 23-year-old from Virginia won the world title outdoors in Doha in 2019 and has been in scintillating form this year. In Madrid he clocked 7.32 in his heat to give Jackson’s record a scare and then improved in the final as Britain’s Andy Pozzi, the world indoor champion, finished runner-up in a season’s best of 7.51.

Time was running out this season for Holloway to break Jackson’s record too. It was his final race of his indoor campaign and the final meeting in the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold.

Grant Holloway breaks world indoor 60m hurdles record in Madrid #WorldIndoorTour

Stunning hurdling from @Flaamingoo_ to clock 7.29 ?

?: https://t.co/zCi4oRJwyr pic.twitter.com/1oM4G3DKP2

— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) February 24, 2021

The omens were good as Madrid has a reputation for staging fast sprint times. In the past Maurice Greene, Andre Cason and Leroy Burrell have broken the world 60m flat record in Madrid, whereas the women’s 60m mark has fallen to Nelli Cooman, Merlene Ottey and Irina Privalova in the same city.

Jackson’s record has stood the test of time, though. It was set in 1994 when the Briton enjoyed a momentous indoor season. Firstly, he equalled Greg Foster’s world record of 7.36 in Glasgow before claiming the mark as his own with a 7.30 clocking in Sindelfingen, Germany. In the form of his life, he then captured a golden double at 60m and 60m hurdles at the European Indoor Championships in Paris a few days later.

But Holloway has now surpassed Jackson’s mark and speculation will turn to how much he can improve his 110m hurdles best of 12.98 this summer. A great all-round athlete – with a long jump best of 8.17m and a 44.75 split from a 4x400m to his name – this year he seems a class apart from his rivals in his specialist event.

Holloway said recently: “I don’t chase records. It’s the records that come to you.”

But the expectation was heavy before the Madrid meeting and he rose to the occasion to beat the mark.

Elsewhere, Gudaf Tsegay won the 3000m in Madrid in 8:22.65 – the second fastest time in history indoors behind fellow Ethiopian Genzebe Dibaba’s 8:16.60.

Juan Miguel Echevarria, the world indoor champion from Cuba, took the men’s long jump victory with 8.14m from the opening round.

Habitam Alemu of Ethiopia ran a meet record of 1:58.94 in the women’s 800m as in-form Irish runner Nadia Power finished third in 2:01.55.

Mariano Garcia ran a meet record of 1:45.66 in the men’s 800m with Amel Tuka running a 1:45.95 PB in second and former world champion Pierre-Ambroise Bosse clocking a 1:45.95 PB in third.

Selemon Barega took the men’s 1500m with a meet record of 3:35.42.

Nadine Visser of the Netherlands continued her fine form, too, as she equalled the world lead of 7.81 in 60m hurdles.

Pavel Maslak, the three-time world indoor champion, warmed up for the European Indoor Championships by winning the 400m in 46.12.

Iryna Zhuk of Belarus took the women’s pole vault with 4.67m.

Full results can be seen here.