Cordell Tinch: trials

Cordell Tinch became the joint fourth-fastest 110m hurdler in history in May, clocking 12.87 at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Shanghai/Keqiao.

It was the quickest time ever recorded so early in the season, but it didn’t change his goals for the rest of the year.

In an exclusive interview for World Athletics Watch, the US athlete reflects on that momentous performance, discusses the importance of mental health awareness, and looks ahead to his target of qualifying at the US trials for the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 in September after missing out on last year’s Olympics.

Find the full feature on World Athletics Watch

“That race specifically was a very surreal feeling, because I don’t think I’ve ever felt that way during a race,” says Tinch, recalling his experience in China. “To a lot of people watching from the outside, they’re like, okay, they have 10 hurdles and usually the race is over in 13 seconds. But for me, I feel like that race took forever as we were going down the lanes, just because of each hurdle – I feel like it was its own mini race that was taking 13 seconds.

“Everything just felt good and there was a point, whether it was three or four hurdles in the race, where I know we are moving fast. Then, at about eight or nine, I somehow got a glance of the clock and I was like, ‘oh, we are really moving fast’. There are things that I want to take from that race and apply to every race that comes in the future.

“Initially, I really thought that it would throw a whole lot more pressure on me, but at the same time, I’ve got to be this fast at USA trials in order to make the team,” he adds. “That’s the goal of the season. My goal, regardless of how fast I ran in May, isn’t going to change until we get to July.

“I’m a big mental health person and I think that there’s a lot of things as athletes that we need to talk about. I’m just in a way better space physically, mentally, spiritually, that I’m really ready for anything this season.

“I don’t only want to be known as, ‘he ran the fastest time ever in May but then missed the team in July’. Not that it weighs on me, but it’s just things that I have in the back of my head of what I want to do and what I want out of my career.”