From Salesman To World Champion: Tinch Wins Gold

Cordell Tinch powered to victory in the 110 metres hurdles final to win the gold at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Tuesday, securing his first world title at his first global championships

The American crossed the finish line in 12.99 seconds ahead of Jamaican duo of Orlando Bennett, who ran a personal best 13.08 to win silver and Tyler Mason, who took the bronze in 13.12.

"When I crossed the finish line I felt relieved," said Tinch.

"I came into this season with the goal of winning the World title. I wanted to be the best hurdler in the world.

Earlier, Olympic gold medallist Grant Holloway's six-year reign as the World champion ended on Tuesday when the American finished sixth in his semi-final.

It was only three years ago, in late 2022,

that Tinch worked as a cellphone salesman in his home town Green Bay, after giving up a college football scholarship and also a shot at Division I athletics.

He returned to the track at Pitt State in 2023 and excelled in the high hurdles sufficiently before turning professional last year before a surgery saw him miss out on the Paris Olympics last year.

However, he made a stunning comeback to the track this season. He clocked 12.87 at the Shanghai/Keqiao Diamond League in May -- the joint-fourth fastest man of all time with Cuba's 2008 Olympic champion Dayron Robles.

"I stepped away from the track for a couple of years but I am not regretting it at all. If I hadn't taken that break from the track, I wouldn't be a World champion now. Everything I learned at that time away from the sport made me the man I am and a World champion."