High hurdler Tinch fires warning shot at Diamond League
SHAOXING, China - Cordell Tinch is happier not being a race favourite but the American high hurdler might have to get used to it after his stunning run of 12.87 seconds at the Shanghai-Keqiao Diamond League on Saturday.
The powerful 24-year-old's time not only won him back-to-back Diamond League races in successive weeks but made him the joint fourth fastest man of all time in the 110m metres hurdles alongside 2008 Olympic champion Dayron Robles.
Tinch's passage into the track elite has been far from orthodox, however, and for now he is content to concentrate on incremental improvements as he targets a place on the U.S. team for this year's world championships.
"I'm just happy to come out compete again and honestly, just build off of last week. So as we continue to go through this season, I just want to get better each week," he told reporters.
"Technically, last year was my first full season as a pro. They say, your first full year as a pro, it's a learning process. You got to learn things. So there's a lot of things that I had to learn."
In 2022, Tinch was a cellphone salesman in Green Bay after having given up a football scholarship and a shot at Division I track and field at the University of Minnesota.
He was lured back into athletics in the Division II programme at Pitt State and within a year was delivering eye-catching performances in the high jump, long jump and most particularly the high hurdles.
His first year as a professional in 2024 started well but he hit a rough patch after a mid-season operation and missed out on a spot in the U.S. team for the Olympics after finishing fourth in 13.03 seconds at the trials.
That was hardly a disgrace given the incredible American depth in the event and world record holder Grant Holloway duly went on to win gold in Paris with his compatriot Daniel Roberts in second.
Tinch beat Holloway in the Diamond League opener in Xiamen in a world-leading 13.06 last week before producing his stunning run at the China Textile City Sports Centre on Saturday.
"I'll be honest, I kind of felt like I was going to run something fast," he added.
"I'd been getting out very well all week, but it's a matter of trying to finish those races when I get out well, because I'll get out well and I'll get a little relaxed towards the end."
There was no easing up on Saturday and Tinch said he was determined to run as fast as it took to secure a ticket to Tokyo for September's world championships.
"I think we're just scratching the surface of this season," he said.
"I don't want to miss any more USA teams. So regardless of what I got to do, I thought (13.03) last year was fast enough, but it's not, so sometimes you got to go run 12.8 and figure it out from there." REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Times
3 minutes ago
- Business Times
India plans to ban online games played with money, citing addiction risks
[NEW DELHI] India's government plans to ban online games played with money, a proposed bill showed on Tuesday (Aug 19), in what would be a heavy blow for an industry that has attracted billions of US dollars of foreign investment. Citing psychological and financial harm it says can be caused by such games, the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill 2025 says that no person 'shall offer, aid, abet, induce or otherwise indulge or engage in' the offering of online money games and such services. The 13-page bill, which has not yet been made public but has been reviewed by Reuters, describes an online money game as one played by a user by depositing money in expectation of winning monetary and other enrichment. The Indian market for such gaming is set to be worth US$3.6 billion by 2029, venture capital firm Lumikai says. Endorsements by top Indian cricketers and other marketing efforts have boosted the appeal and investor interest of real money gaming apps such as the popular fantasy cricket games operated by startups Dream11 and Mobile Premier League (MPL). Dream11 commands a valuation of US$8 billion while Mobile Premier League is valued at US$2.5 billion, PitchBook data shows. The Indian government has long been concerned about how such games are addictive. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up India's IT ministry, which has drafted the bill, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. MPL and Dream11 declined to comment. In fantasy cricket games on Dream11, users create their teams by paying as little as eight rupees (12 Singapore cents), with a total prize pool of 1.2 million Indian rupees. The apps become more popular during the Indian Premier League season, one of the world's most popular cricket tournaments. The bill states that anyone who offers such money games could face a jail term of up to three years and a fine. 'Such games often use manipulative design features, addictive algorithms ... while promoting compulsive behaviour leading to financial ruin,' the bill said. REUTERS
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
India plans to ban online games played with money, citing addiction risks
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The Bill states that anyone who offers such money games could face a jail term of up to three years and a fine. NEW DELHI - India's government plans to ban online games played with money, a proposed Bill showed on Aug 19, in what would be a heavy blow for an industry that has attracted billions of dollars of foreign investment. Citing psychological and financial harm it says can be caused by such games, the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill 2025 says that no person 'shall offer, aid, abet, induce or otherwise indulge or engage in' the offering of online money games and such services. The 13-page Bill, which has not yet been made public but has been reviewed by Reuters, describes an online money game as one played by a user by depositing money in expectation of winning monetary and other enrichment. The Indian market for such gaming is set to be worth US$3.6 billion (S$4.63 billion) by 2029, venture capital firm Lumikai says. Endorsements by top Indian cricketers and other marketing efforts have boosted appeal and investor interest of real money gaming apps such as the popular fantasy cricket games operated by startups Dream11 and Mobile Premier League. Dream11 commands a valuation of US$8 billion, while Mobile Premier League is valued at US$2.5 billion, PitchBook data shows. The Indian government has long been concerned about how such games are addictive. India's IT ministry, which has drafted the Bill, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. MPL and Dream11 declined to comment. In fantasy cricket games on Dream11, users create their teams by paying as little as 8 rupees (S$0.12), with a total prize pool of 1.2 million Indian rupees. The apps become more popular during the Indian Premier League season, one of the world's most popular cricket tournaments. The Bill states that anyone who offers such money games could face a jail term of up to three years and a fine. 'Such games often use manipulative design features, addictive algorithms... while promoting compulsive behaviour leading to financial ruin,' the Bill said. REUTERS
Straits Times
7 hours ago
- Straits Times
Defending champions trump singles stars in early US Open mixed doubles
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Tennis - U.S. Open - Flushing Meadows, New York, United States - August 19, 2025 Italy's Sara Errani and Italy's Andrea Vavassori in action during their round of 16 mixed doubles match against Taylor Fritz of the U.S. and Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina REUTERS/Kylie Cooper NEW YORK - Veteran doubles experience overcame singles stardom as defending champions Andrea Vavassori and Sara Errani reached the semi-finals at the U.S. Open's reimagined mixed doubles on Tuesday, as the event kicked off with a new format and new fans. Vavassori and Errani downed 2022 Wimbledon singles winner Elena Rybakina and 2024 U.S. Open singles finalist Taylor Fritz 4-2 4-2, before outlasting Karolina Muchova and Andrey Rublev 4-1 5-4(4) in the quarter-finals. The Italians had earned wild card entries. The pair had added motivation to retain their crown as the year's final major took a new approach to the event beloved by fans but often lost in a schedule that is dominated by singles action, moving the competition to five days before the main draw. This year's format saw eight pairings based on the combined singles rankings and eight wild cards, a move that left some doubles competitors fuming - including Vavassori and Errani - but brought a sellout crowd to Arthur Ashe Stadium. "We're also playing for all the doubles players that could not be here, so we tried to do our best," said Vavassori, after downing Fritz and Rybakina. The 2022 singles champion Iga Swiatek showed little sign of fatigue a day after clinching the title in Cincinnati, as she and teammate Casper Ruud downed American duo Madison Keys and Frances Tiafoe 4-1 4-2 in their opener. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore NDP 2026 to be held at National Stadium to accommodate more Singaporeans Singapore Girl, 14, among 3 injured after minibus falls into Bukit Panjang canal Singapore Man to be charged after allegedly slashing another man with Swiss knife at City Plaza Singapore Hyflux founder Olivia Lum and ex-CFO gave input to 'play down' energy component of Tuaspring project Singapore FairPrice apologises after worm found in salmon bought from Bedok North outlet Singapore What led to Changi Airport runway incident involving 2 China Eastern Airlines planes in Aug 2024 Singapore Married man who offered cash to 12-year-old girl for sexual acts gets 19 months' jail They made easy work of Grand Slam doubles finalist Caty McNally and partner Lorenzo Musetti 4-1 4-2 later in the day, to claim another of the semi-final spots. The semis and final are set for Wednesday. "Last two days felt like one long day but I'm super happy to be here and playing with Casper," said Swiatek. "Didn't have time to play many doubles to practise but I think I can improvise pretty well." 'HOLLYWOOD OF MIXED DOUBLES' A logjam of cars waited long into the first round to enter the Flushing Meadows grounds as spectators abandoned their taxis, walking up the Grand Central Parkway to get inside the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. It was the earliest sign of business not-as-usual for the U.S. Open's "fan week" as ticketholders shelled out to catch the early action just a day after the Cincinnati Open concluded. "We're really excited. We heard it was like the Hollywood of mixed doubles," said Boston native Krystyna Zaluski, who brought her 13-year-old son to the tournament for the first time. "This event made it so simple for us to come out here." That star power was dented slightly by the last-minute withdrawal of Italian Jannik Sinner, a day after illness forced the world number one to retire five games into his Cincinnati Open final. Americans Danielle Collins and Christian Harrison replaced Sinner and partner Katerina Siniakova in the draw. REUTERS
