In 2021, Freddie Crittenden kissed the track in Eugene, thinking it would be his last competition. “I was saying goodbye,” he remembered. “I thought I was done.”Three years earlier, Crittenden barely qualified for Eugene, competing in the U.S. Olympic Trials for the 110-meter hurdles. Unfortunately, he didn’t make it past the semifinals. “I almost gave up,” he said. “I was broke, didn’t earn anything that year, and didn’t get out of the semis.”
Yet, he didn’t quit. The next year, he ran 13.14 seconds at the U.S. Outdoors, earning a spot on the U.S. team for the NACAC Championships. There, he clocked a stunning 13.00 seconds, securing gold in the Bahamas and ranking fourth in the world for the year.
“That experience transformed my outlook,” Crittenden, now 29, shared. “I found joy with my group, and my wife, friends, and teammates lifted me up during that time.”
His success continued. In June, he placed second to Grant Holloway at the U.S. Olympic Trials, achieving a personal best of 12.93 seconds. This qualified him for his first Olympic Games and marked his second consecutive major championship. “It’s incredible to finally achieve what I’ve been striving for over 17 years of running track,” Crittenden said after his impressive performance.
Among the many stories from the U.S. Olympic Trials, Crittenden’s stood out. The Phoenix based hurdler, originally from Michigan and Saint Louis, had always been a talented athlete. He earned multiple All-American titles at Syracuse University and a silver medal in the 110m hurdles at the 2019 Pan American Games. Despite his global success, he almost quit the sport at 26.
By 2024, he still lacked a major sponsor, relying on TrackSmith for gear and accommodation in Eugene. “After graduating in 2017,” Crittenden explained, “I missed a few teams and had several fourth-place finishes, which made sponsors hesitant to support me.”
Despite a tough period in 2021, including injuries to both hamstrings during a Diamond League event in Doha, Crittenden persisted. He followed a strict routine, training in the mornings, having lunch in the afternoons, and working in the evenings.
He took various jobs, including at GameStop, in a warehouse, and as a substitute teacher. Eventually, his cousin hired him to run an after-school program for a non-profit, G Road, which supports youth in the Phoenix area. “That job has been my anchor,” Crittenden said.
After a career-best year in 2022, he competed at the World Championships in Budapest the following year, narrowly missing a medal with a fourth-place finish. That year marked a shift in his perspective. “Making my first team last year with my wife and coach there was a beautiful moment,” he said.
Under the guidance of Phoenix-based coach Tim O’Neil, Crittenden maintained strong performances, with times of 13.30 seconds at the Diamond League in April, 13.16 seconds at the Prefontaine Classic, and 13.28 seconds at the Racers Grand Prix in Jamaica. By the Olympic Trials, Crittenden was ready.
He ran 13.16 and 13.05 seconds in the first two heats. In the finals, he excelled, running a wind-legal 12.93 seconds, his first sub-13-second performance and the second-best time worldwide. “It’s pure joy,” he said. “The kind of joy that’s hard to describe.”
