Three years ago, Cordell Tinch was nowhere. He’d given up on athletics, burnt-out and was selling cellphones and toilet paper. Less than a year ago, he became a world champion. Now he’s a world champion who just won in Doha, holding off his rivals by the slimmest of margins. The 110m hurdles field is deeper and faster than ever, with a new world record set just last weekend. Tinch wasn’t that fast, but on a night where it mattered, he didn’t need to be.

The 25-year-old walked away with his first Diamond League win since August 2025, beating a field that included Asier Martinez, Thomas Wilkes, and Jamal Britt. In fact, Britt was leading for most of the race after a brilliant start. However, the Iowa graduate fell off after hitting hurdles seven, eight, nine, and ten to finish eighth.

That allowed Tinch the chance to show off his mettle, something he desperately needed to do after his recent races. The reigning World Champion has been off his game in 2026, losing his last three races at the USATF LA Grand Prix, the Xiamen Diamond League, and the Shanghai Diamond League. He did, however, finish third and second at the LA Grand Prix and Shanghai DL, so things haven’t been all bad.

But he finally hit his stride in Doha, breaking strongly after the seventh hurdle and taking the lead after the ninth to finish ahead. His time of 13.23 was just about enough to finish ahead of Asier Martinez (13.27) and Thomas Wilkes (13.28). However, it is significantly slower than the standing world record set by Ja’Kobe Tharp (12.75) earlier this month.

It’s also one of Tinch’s slower times of the season, having recently clocked 13.15 seconds at the Grand Prix prior to the Doha Diamond League. However, the win does end his three-race drought, something that would have likely been plaguing the world champion’s mind. After all, the American ended 2025 in fine fettle, with his first World Championships medal around his neck.

The fact that it was gold would have meant even more to the 25-year-old, given the struggles he had between 2020 and 2023. Cordell Tinch left athletics and never wanted to look back until he was coaxed back. The rest is history.

“I don’t think that I make it to where I am now if I don’t ever take that break to find myself,” Tinch said before the world championships in 2025. “Finding myself was the biggest part of all of that. Just because at the time, I don’t think I was a very happy person.”

For Tinch, the victory was about far more than the time on the clock. After weeks of near misses and months spent trying to recapture the form that made him a world champion, the American admitted that getting back to winning ways was the biggest takeaway from Doha.

Cordell Tinch reflects on his win in Doha

Entering the 2026 outdoor season, few athletes were worse placed than Cordell Tinch. The 25-year-old struggled in the indoor season, failing to win at the USA Indoor Championships. That was largely in the long-jump, as Tinch is a multi-discipline athlete. He finished sixth in the event but did win the 60m hurdles at the Milrose Games in February.

Even that came after a fifth-place finish at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, his first meet of the 2026 season. Not quite what the American had imagined for his season but his situation has already changed after his first major win of the season.

“We have been practicing well and feeling well, been healthy, to come out here and finally get over the hump of getting a win, I do not think people understand how much in the track and field,” Tinch said after the race.

“Just getting that the first one really does matter and you are able to keep the ball rolling from here. So finally to come out here, be able to get one.

He did it, however, in arguably the worst possible way, coming from behind to sneak the victory. After all, the 110m hurdles in Doha had Jamal Britt ahead with Tinch among the mid-pack halfway into the race. The situation changed after that: as Britt stumbled, Tinch found his mark and surged ahead to win.

“Not the fastest race but at the same time, we are in the same condition, so to be able to come out and be one that wins feels great It is about how to navigate. It was very challenging last year to be able to come out and run as well as I did all Year.

“This year, I did not start off the best but to build back up towards the end of the season and know that everyone is looking to beat you, that is another type of challenge.

For an athlete who walked away from the sport entirely, Doha was another reminder of how far Tinch has come in a short period. More importantly, after a difficult start, the victory gives the reigning world champion momentum again as the season builds.