As Robert Grant (Sr., Brophy College Prep) stepped into the blocks for the 300 meter hurdles he was thinking about how much he really wanted to run well. A good friend had come to the meet to watch his race and he didn't want to disappoint her.
Grant had been going after former teammate, Devon Allen's, 300 hurdle state record all season and was running out of time but as he headed into the 5 mph headwinds he wasn't sure this would be the night.
"It was so windy I needed to open up my stride because my steps were off after the first 2 hurdles," said Grant after the race.
But something was different about the race. "I got into a rhythm I never had after the 5th hurdle - I always have trouble with the 5th hurdle but went over it super clean and thought I might have a chance at the record."
Grant continued to move well over the hurdles and just before the final hurdle he looked up to see the clock at 33 seconds.
"I started thinking if I finish this race well, there is a good chance I could break it but the only way I was going to do it was if I dove at the end to get those final milliseconds."
Grant gave it everything he had and dove over the finish line sending himself into an acrobatic roll on the track. "My Dad took a video of the race.......it was the most ungraceful thing you have ever seen," he laughed.
But even after his gymnastic finish Grant still did not think he had the record but as the final timeof 36.24 flashed on the clock he started screaming and ran to get his phone to call his good friend Devon.
"The first thing I did after I won was call Devon Allen (now a freshman at the University of Orego) and thank him for everything he has done for me and I told him I couldn't have done it without him," said Grant.
Allen broke the 300 hurdle State Record as a junior at Brophy College Prep in 2012 with a time of 36.39. Grant, currently ranked #1 in the country with a time of 36.47, cemented his US#1 time with the 36.24.
After all the congratulations from his family and from Coach's Oliver and Brooks, Grant turned to freshman Robert Brooks and said, "It's your turn."
