FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS, June 23 — Finally, Cordell Tinch got an opportunity to race the hurdles with a legal wind. At the Trackwired Arkansas GP the Pitt State soph delivered the fastest time in the world this season at 12.96, sending a message to the planet’s best that he’s for real, and he’s coming for them.
“You Can’t Make Up A Story Like This” we headlined in the June issue after his big breakthrough.
“We’re ready. We’ve been ready,” he said after his story got even more fascinating here. “The USATF meet has been our focus. It’s been a goal since midway through the season, knowing that we would be training into the middle of summer. So we have prepared properly. We’ve got our health right, we’ve got our training right. We are peaking when we need to be, so I would definitely say I’m ready for it.”
First Tinch flew to a 13.09 PR (wind 0.2) in the heats at 4 p.m., slashing his legal best from the 13.21 he ran in the heats at the NCAA Div. II Championships.
In the final an hour later, he started from lane 5, with lane 3 empty after Arkansas’s NCAA champion Philip Lemonious withdrew (in the heats he had run 13.53w). Tinch’s start was not exceptional, and he hit hurdle 1 fairly hard. By barrier 3 he and Louis Rollins were matched, but then the 22-year-old shifted into a gear few humans have ever hit. By hurdle 6 he had a commanding lead. By hurdle 7 it was a rout. He clipped hurdles 8 and 9 but his rhythm never faltered.
He crossed with his eyes on the clock, then pranced with joy upon seeing the time and the wind reading (1.3). His 12.96, though outside of the collegiate season, is the fastest ever run by any collegian, any division, any time. He is now No. 11 all-time among Americans (see sidebar). He finished 0.30 clear of the PR 13.26 from Britain’s Tade Ojoro, with Rollins 3rd in 13.56. (Continued below)
“It felt fast,” he said, “but it felt like I’ve felt all season. We’ve been waiting to have the right conditions to have a legal time. We’ve known for a while that this was definitely possible. It was just a matter of where were going to get the proper time and were we going to get it before USA’s.
“Training has been going very well since we finished NCAAs and came back. Being able to just focus on hurdles and long jump changes a lot, you know, without school or anything. Just being able to completely plunge myself into my craft.”
Noting the barriers he hit, Tinch added, “I didn’t have a clean race. There’s always things you can work on within track & field. I wouldn’t say that was my top potential at all.”
Tinch confirmed that he will also be doing the long jump at Nationals. Of his recently being left off the list of Bowerman semifinalists, he said, “It’s no longer a big thing for me. It’s just something added to the fire.”
On the field, the best mark came from Tara Davis-Woodhall, who flew 22-11¼ (6.99) on the opening round of the long jump, with a 1.7 wind. She had two other jumps within a few inches of that before she fouled jump 5 and retired for the day.
TRACKWIRED GP RESULTS
Men’s Events
100(2.1): 1. Chris Royster (US) 10.05w; 2. Demarius Smith (US) 10.10w; 3. Ronnie Baker (US) 10.13w; 4. Connor Washington (US) 10.18w; 5. Kamden Jackson (US) 10.23w; 6. Brendon Stewart (US) 10.28w.
200(2.1): 1. Michael Joseph (StL) 20.27w; 2. Marqueze Washington (US) 20.40w; 3. Washington 20.44w; 4. Demarius Smith (US) 20.53w.
400: I–1. Chris Bailey (US) 44.84 PR; 2. Dillon Bedell (US) 45.63. II–1. Demar Francis (Jam) 45.86.
800: 1. AJ Green (US) 1:47.51; 2. Mehdi Yanouri (US) 1:47.78; 3. Mahdi El Hafez (Qat) 1:47.83 PR.
110H(1.3): 1. Cordell Tinch (US) 12.96 PR (WL, AL) (19, x W; 11, x A);
2. Tade Ojora (GB) 13.26 PR; 3. Louis Rollins (US) 13.56; 4. Ayden Owens-Delerme (PR) 13.59 PR; 5. Gratt Reed (US) 13.60; 6. Grant Conway (US) 13.73;… dnf—Tai Brown (US), Parker Bowden (US);… dnc— Phillip Lemonious (Jam).
400H: 1. Shawn Rowe (Jam) 50.12.
HJ: 1. Kason O’Riley (US) 7-1 (2.16); 2. Justin Lewis (US) 7-1.
PV: 1. Clayton Simms (US) 18-8¾ (5.71) PR.
LJ: 1. Isaac Grimes (US) 26-¾ (7.94); 2. Julanie Walker (Jam) 25-9½ (7.86); 3. Ryan Brown (Jam) 25-4 (7.72).
TJ: 1. O’Brien Wasome (Jam) 55-2¼w (16.82) (55-¾/16.78); 2. Jah-Nhai Perinchief (Ber) 54-2 (16.51); 3. Jalen Tate (US) 53-4¼ (16.26); 4. Henry Kiner (US) 53-¾w (16.17).
SP: 1. Rajindra Campbell (Jam) 69-4¼ (21.14); 2. Jordan West (US) 68-1½ (20.76) PR.
HT: 1. Erich Sullins (US) 234-3 (71.40); 2. Sterling Mungro (US) 225-5 (68.72).
Women’s Events
100(1.6): 1. Maia McCoy (US) 11.08 =PR; 2. Asha Philip (GB) 11.26; 3. Jada Baylark (US) 11.29;… dnc— Cambrea Sturgis (US).
200(2.0): 1. Sturgis 22.72; 2. Mariah Ayers (US) 22.92; 3. Rosey Effiong (US) 23.07.
400: I–1. Bailey Lear (US) 51.28; 2. Paris Peoples (US) 51.40; 3. Imeobong Nse Uko (Ngr) 51.71; 4. Paola Morán (Mex) 51.80; 5. Joanne Reid (Jam) 51.89.
II–1. Wadeline Jonathas (US) 52.26; 2. Taylor Manson (US) 52.59; 3. Shakima Wimbley (US) 53.07.
800: 1. Shafiqua Maloney (VIN) 2:01.99; 2. Honour Finley (US) 2:02.52 PR; 3. Taiya Shelby (US) 2:03.32 PR; 4. Mallory Lindaman (US) 2:03.76.
1500: 1. Carina Viljoen (SA) 4:13.70; 2. Logan Jolly (US) 4:16.73 PR.
100H(1.4): 1. Taliyah Brooks (US) 12.84; 2. Milan Young (US) 13.25.
400H: 1. Deshae Wise (US) 55.15 PR; 2. Bianca Stubler (US) 56.77; 3. Erin Dowd (US) 56.95; 4. Ashley Miller (Zim) 57.07 NR; 5. Gontse Morake (SA) 57.34; 6. Deonca Bookman (US) 58.12.
LJ: 1. Tara Davis-Woodhall (US) 22-11¼ (6.99) (22-11¼, 21-10¼w, 22-10¾w, 22-7¾, f, p) (6.99, 6.66w, 6.98w, 6.90, f, p); 2. Brooks 22-1½w (6.74) (21-2½/6.46).
