A Shot of Change

“There’s a picture,” Grant Holloway said, reminiscing on the moment he achieved the goal he’d been working at for nearly two decades.

“I need to see if I can find it for you.”

After taking gold in the 110-meter hurdles at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Holloway ventured into the stands to soak it all in. His friend, Anderson Bobo, armed with his Sony a7R IV, happened to have just the right vantage point to capture this milestone and all the emotions that followed. Although there were many images shot of him that day, this one is Holloway’s favorite. 

A photo is worth a thousand words, but this one is worth so much more. Every hurdle cleared, every lap around the track, every other race – it all led to this.

By a stroke of sheer luck, Bobo managed to freeze it in time forever.

At almost any other track meet, Bobo is a credentialed photographer on assignment.  But this isn’t just any track meet. It's the Olympics. 

He wasn’t on the track shooting races this time, though he still brought his camera into the stands. Holloway’s certainly glad he did. 

Bobo and his friend – and former roommate – Jesse Millson, who competed for the University of Florida at the same time as Holloway, traveled across the pond to support their friends and former teammates as they competed on the sport’s grandest stage. 

Following his own career running cross country at the University of North Florida, Bobo earned a master’s degree at Florida, aiming to create a career out of his passion for sports videography and photography. He now works as the creative director of Oregon’s track and field program. Safe to say he was successful. Yet, on this day, Aug. 8, 2024, he’s only a friend and a fan.

“We actually had amazing seats that day,” Bobo said. “We were like three or four rows from the actual track where the 110-meter hurdle race finishes.”

While the others who brought their cameras into the stands were shooting very intently during the races, Bobo chose to be present instead. His camera remained at his side until the race was over. 

“[Holloway] ran over to us and I got some cool photos that way. But I was hip firing at those moments because we were celebrating,” Bobo said. “He was right there, we were screaming his name. That moment was absolutely insane.”

In the few weeks leading up to the Olympics, Holloway was laser focused. He told his friends and family that they wouldn’t hear from him during this time. When they did, he would give them a reason to party. And party they did.

“To have everybody there to witness that moment, they knew how hard I was working. They knew what I was sacrificing, what I was doing and everything of that nature,” Holloway said. “So it was just one of the things where I'm very happy they were there. That's something that we all will have in our memory bank for a long time.”

After Holloway celebrated his victory with family, friends and Team USA supporters, it was time to take a second for himself. He perched at the top of a staircase that overlooked the stadium, hung his head in his hands and exhaled a sigh of relief.

That moment – and the memorable photo that came from it – still sticks with Holloway nearly two years later.

“It's kind of cool how there's been staying power of the photo,” Bobo said. “Sometimes in the moment, you'll send athletes a bunch of photos, and there's a photo where you're like, ‘Oh, I love this as a photographer,’ but maybe they don't really like it. 

“But I think it resonated with him.” 

The photo means a lot to Bobo, not just as a photographer, but as a former athlete and friend. Technically speaking, it’s a great shot, he says, between the low angle and the lighting. It just happens to represent so much more. 

“To have him capture that moment, me just kind of just taking a deep breath and taking it all in,” Holloway said. “I think that just kind of speaks volume to what the Olympic dream is all about.”