Who is Cordell Tinch? All about American who won Zurich Diamond League final and considered favorite for World Championships

Cordell Tinch has been crowned the men’s 110m hurdles Diamond League champion at the Zurich Diamond League Final 2025. The American athlete ran an impressive 12.92 seconds, tying the Zurich DL record. Enrique Llopis and Jamal Britt finished second and third, clocking 13.12 and 13.21 seconds, respectively.

Notably, Tinch secured his spot for the World Athletics Championships with a strong performance at the US Outdoor Nationals. This major victory in Zurich has also positioned him as a leading contender as he heads to Japan for the Worlds. Tinch is being billed as the hot favorite to win at next month's world championships in Tokyo

The Zurich title marked Cordell Tinch’s fourth time breaking the 13-second barrier this year. One of his impressive sub-13 performances came at the Shanghai-Keqiao Diamond League in May, where he ran 12.87 s to claim victory and tie with Dayron Robles as the fourth-fastest man in the event’s history. He aced the Silesia Diamond League in August, winning in 13.03 s and defeating world champion Grant Holloway. He recently ran another 12.98 s at the Lausanne Diamond League.

In Zurich, Tinch faced strong competition, defeating several prominent athletes, including Rachid Muratake, who had set a Japanese record of 12.92 earlier this month, 2022 world silver medallist Trey Cunningham, and Jason Joseph.

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Cordell Tinch's early life, education, and struggles

Wanda Diamond League meeting in Chorzow - Source: Getty

Born on July 13, 2000, in Chicago, Illinois, Tinch grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and attended Bay Port High School. Initially, he pursued football at the University of Minnesota on a scholarship, but later shifted his focus to track and field.

Out of high school, he earned a scholarship to play football and run track at the University of Minnesota before transferring to the University of Kansas to follow his coach. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted his plans, causing him to step away from sports and relocate to Green Bay, Wisconsin.

With the support of his roommate and mother, Tinch enrolled at Pittsburg State University in late 2022, where he quickly excelled in multiple events, winning the long jump, high jump, and 110m hurdles at the 2023 MIAA Championships.

At the 2023 NCAA Division II Championships, he became the Indoor Champion in the 60m hurdles and high jump. Turning professional in June 2023, Cordell Tinch finished second at the US trials and reached the semi-finals at the World Championships in Budapest. He then narrowly missed a spot on the 2024 U.S. Olympic team after finishing fourth in 13.03 s at the trials.