From Holloway to Valby: Here's what Florida Olympians to watch in track and field this week

For the last 12 days, Paris has captivated the world for the Games of the 33rd Olympiad.

Americans, in turn, have awed and been inspired by our athletes representing the Stars and Stripes on the other side of the world.

But what about the participants who have graced Gainesville’s humid air?

It’s been another successful Olympics for the Orange and Blue, with Gator alums earning 10 medals thus far (three gold, four silver and three bronze).

If UF was its own country, it would rank tied for 14th in total medals and 13th in golds.

Memories (and medals) are still left to be won, though, in the last four days of competition.

Here’s what UF athletes to watch this week and weekend in the City of the Lights:

Grant Holloway goes for the elusive gold

Holloways’ golden moment in the 110m hurdles was supposed to occur in the Land of the Rising Sun. By the Tokyo games, he was the best hurdler in the world with a World Championship under his belt.

But the Gator grad lost his composure, he told the Sun in July, and settled for a “silver moment,” which just doesn’t flow off the tongue as well.

Three years later, the stars appear aligned. He won U.S. Olympic Trials, and in the semifinals Wednesday, he sped into the final with an event-best 12.98.

Holloway’s confidence has shown for these Olympics. He’s said anything less than gold is a failure, and with numbers like that, who can blame him?

The Men’s 110m Hurdles final is set for 3:45 p.m. Thursday on NBC.

Can Anna Hall generate interest in the Heptathlon?

Track and Field usually dominates the second week of the games, and NBC dedicates countless hours to the sport.

One event usually remains outside the mainstream, though – Heptathlon.

Americans haven’t won Gold in the event since Jackie Joyner-Kersee in 1992 and haven’t medaled since 2008.

Anna Hall knows this. The Gator alum told Time Magazine Wednesday most people don’t know what the Heptathlon is.

It runs two days and includes seven events – 100-m hurdles, high jump, shot put, the 200m, long jump, javelin and the 800m – in that order.

Hall seems well-positioned to make noise in Paris. She won the event at Trials, bronze at 2022 World Championships and silver a year later.

The pressure on her isn’t minimal.

“(It is) kind of my duty to make heptathlon well-known in America,” she told Time.

The Heptathlon begins Thursday at 4:05 a.m. in the 100m hurdles and concludes Friday at 2:25 p.m. on Peacock with the 800m.

Two medals for Jasmine Moore?

Moore emerged as a household name in the American sports community Saturday when she won bronze in the triple jump, becoming the first U.S. women to do so.

She withstood weather delays and a plethora of other challenges.

Now, the Gator from 2022-23 moves her attention to the long jump. Just by qualifying in this event, Moore made history. No American women had qualified for both events before.

The odds will be stacked against her. Moore told NBC6 Miami in July that the triple jump is her “baby,” and it was the event she won at trials.

Still, the Texas native landed in second in the long jump and has a couple of national titles in the event.

The final is at 2 p.m. Thursday on NBC.

Can Parker Valby add one more accolade to her fantastic year?

Parker Valby’s journey over the past two months has been well chronicled by the Sun, from her two national titles and six in a season, to her second-place finish at trials.

Friday, Valby’s Olympic moment finally arrives.

She’ll run the 10,000m at the Stade de France.

It’s another event in which Americans have struggled, with no medals since 2008. While Valby’s second-place finish was impressive, it lagged times of competitors.

But the American men are exceeding distance running expectations so far.

Plus, if there’s one thing we learned over the last year, it this: Don’t count out Parker.

The final is set for 2:57 p.m. Friday on Peacock.

Noah Ram covers Gainesville-area high school sports and University of Florida athletics for The Gainesville Sun. Contact him at Nram@gannett.com and follow him @Noah_ram1 on Twitter.