A father’s challenge begins Tinch’s journey to fastest hurdler in the world this year
In the end, the spark for Tinch to return to track came from some gentle banter with his father.
While sitting on the couch watching the 2020 NCAA Outdoor Championships, Tinch senior turned to his son and said, “You know, I just don’t think you got it no more”.
Buoyed by the challenge, Tinch found his spikes, went straight to track and ran a 13.27-second 110m hurdles.
It took another two years for the Wisconsin native to come back to athletics full-time after a friend recommended him to a coach at Pittsburg State in Kansas.
However, the transition wasn’t an easy one. At first, Tinch felt like an imposter.
But after lining up for his first race under his new coach, the feeling changed instantly to one of belonging.
“When the gun went off, that’s when I knew, I’m where I’m supposed to be,” he said.
Tinch’s rise since that day in 2023 to today has been sensational. He arrives at these world championships with a time of 12.87 seconds — the fastest in the world this year.
The 110m hurdles competition in Tokyo is expected to be a phenomenal battle, with Paris 2024 Olympic champion and three-time world championships gold medallist Grant Holloway finally showing small signs of fragility this season after years of absolute dominance.
Yet whatever happens, Tinch’s journey has been as much about discovering his true self as rediscovering his love for sport.
“Going home and working in paper factories, in cellphone stores, in moving companies, it was all fun,” he said. “But at the same time, I think that finding myself was the biggest part of all that.”