A grant secured by the hurdler, maybe (7)
I believe the answer is:
athlete
'hurdler maybe' is the definition.
(I know that hurdler is a type of athlete)
'a grant secured by the' is the wordplay.
'grant' becomes 'let' (I've seen this in another clue).
'secured by' indicates putting letters inside (inserted letters are held or secured).
'let' inserted into 'the' is 'thlete'.
'a'+'thlete'='ATHLETE'
(Other definitions for athlete that I've seen before include "E.g. runner or jumper" , "Eg, a runner or gymnast" , "The late one is very fit, oddly" , "Sportsman in physical contests" , "Olympian" .)