Holdsworth’s Dress Rehearsal in the men’s 800m

Derek Holdsworth captures his second 800m victory at Hayward Field in 2022, breaking the tape in 1:47.59 to win the Oregon Relays on Saturday. Photo by Logan Hannigan-Downs

By Joe Zochert

Coming into the final lap of the men’s 800m at Oregon Relays, a tight pack of collegians and pros passed the Bowerman Tower and began jockeying for position with 200m remaining. It was a moment Derek Holdsworth had been practicing for.

As they made the turn into the home straight, Holdsworth, 26, opted to swing to the outside lanes to avoid getting boxed as Wisconsin sophomore Abdullahi Hassan and Brooks Beast TC’s Brannon Kidder were surging. The Bell Lap Elite athlete powered home in 1:47.59 to take the victory at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon.

“Wherever I knew I had a chance [to win], [that’s] where I wanted to be,” said Holdsworth about what made him decide to move out to the third lane.

His gamble paid off as it put him in the position to nudge past Hassan, who placed 2nd with a mark of 1:47.66. Kidder held on to 3rd place with a time of 1:48.30.

Thanks to the performance at Oregon Relays, Holdworth now has two victories in the 800m at Hayward Field this season.

Three weeks ago, he won the Hayward Premiere with a season best 1:47.20 in a competitive field of college runners.

“Winning races is really key,” he said about his two recent wins at Hayward. “Hopefully, I can get in the same race with Donovan [Brazier] or something like that and try the same stuff.” 

Even though the outdoor season is still young, Holdsworth knows how important they can be as the season progresses.

“You might not win, but you get a time,” he said about his mentality for these early season races. “I would really love to keep on rehearsing of what I have been doing.

For the rest of the season, Holdsworth will be rehearsing for the big stage like the USATF Championships this June.