Lightning speed! Incredible moment University of Michigan freshman track star makes stunning comeback in 4x400 relay to win race by half a second at her first college meet
A University of Michigan freshman track star zoomed past her opponents and brought her team to victory in an incredible comeback with a 51.79 split in a 4x400 relay race at her first-ever college meet.
Freshman Ziyah Holman, 18, was the star of the team's Simmons-Harvey Invitational race in Ann Arbor on Saturday where she made a jaw-dropping sprint and helped her team win by half a second.
Video of her incredible run has gone viral, showing the moment she received the baton for the final leg of the 4x400 relay while the team was down by four seconds and she was 25 meters behind her closest competitor.
She sped along the 200 meter indoor track and passed an Ohio State runner in her first lap and one lap later, close to the finish line, she pushed past a runner from Indiana State University, winning the race for Michigan by half a second.
Incredible comeack: University of Michigan Freshman Ziyah Holman, 18, brought her team to victory in an incredible comeback with a 51.79 split in a 4x400 relay race at her first-ever college meet on Saturday. Above is the moment she was first handed the baton for the final leg of the race
Lightning speed: She received the baton for the final leg of the 4x400 relay while the team was down by four seconds and she was 25 meters behind her closest competitor and sped on the track. Pictured above catching up on her opponents
She sped along the track and passed an Ohio State runner and one lap later, close to the finish line, she pushed past a runner from Indiana University, winning the race for Michigan by half a second
Crossing the finish line! Holman pictured above breaking past the finish line half a second ahead of her competitor from Indiana, winning the race for Michigan
Video of her victory has won attention of celebrity athletes including former NBA star Rex Chapman who tweeted the video with the caption 'Never. Give. Up.' that has been retweeted more than 12,000 times.
'Just go test them, honestly. Just go get them, see how far you can get. As the race keeps going, you see yourself getting closer. Like oh my God, I’m actually getting closer. Why would I try so hard and not try to win,' Holman said to the Michigan Daily on her victory.
Earlier that same day Holman ran a 600-meter race just one hour and a half before the 4x400 relay, where she won by four seconds with a time of 1:29.27.
'It was a stadium record, a meet record, and an NCAA lead (of the season),' Holman said.
In that race she ranked Number 3 on the all-time Michigan list and marked the fastest-ever debut by a Michigan woman.
Success is nothing new to Holman, a star athlete from Maryland who has been an anchor in the 4x400 since she was a freshman in high school.
'Just go test them, honestly. Just go get them, see how far you can get. As the race keeps going, you see yourself getting closer. Like oh my God, I’m actually getting closer. Why would I try so hard and not try to win,' Holman said on her victory
The University of Michigan shared video of her stunning split on Twitter where it has gone viral with more than 28,000 views
When asked if the 4x400 race was a familiar victory she said: 'All the time in high school, honestly.'
Speaking on the last second comeback she said: 'That was my thing,'
In high school Holman was a three-time Gatorade Player of the Year and now she’s enjoying the fame her video has brought her. On Twitter the clip, shared by the University of Michigan, has garnered more than 28,000 views.
'I've gotten so many messages, it’s not even funny. I feel so bad because I’m still replying — trying to reply — to everyone, but honestly it’s pretty impossible. I’m still replying to stuff from Saturday,' she said.
Success is nothing new to Holman, a star athlete from Maryland who has been an anchor in the 4x400 since she was a freshman in high school. In high school Holman was a three-time Gatorade Player of the Year. Before the 2020 Olympics this summer were postponed due to the pandemic, she received an invite to Olympic trials for the 400 meters
Before the 2020 Olympics this summer were postponed due to the pandemic, she received an invite to Olympic trials for the 400 meters. She’s certain she’ll be invited again now that she’ll have a year of college training under her belt.
In 2016, the eighth and latest American to qualify for the 400 meters race had a 51.80 split in trials, not so far from Holman’s split.
'I had no idea what was gonna happen. I just came out there to compete. I have goals, but I definitely didn’t expect a 51.7 split. That was crazy. I couldn’t believe that,' she said.
She is also a Team USA athlete and broke the world U20 record at the 2019 Pa-American U20 Championships.
In track the international standard for an indoor track is 200 meters where runners complete two laps and outdoors is 400 meters for one lap.