Kicking off his outdoor season in style at the Tom Jones Memorial in Gainesville this April, Trey Cunningham clocked a blistering 13.09 seconds. This was not just a world lead, but a historic win that saw him hand Grant Holloway his first loss on home soil in 11 years.
That alone would be enough to set the athletics world buzzing, but for Trey, this was just the beginning.
A Season of Statement Wins
With Holloway sidelined by a knee injury, Cunningham has seized the moment, delivering performances that scream consistency and raw speed. At the Grand Slam Track Miami in May, he matched his personal best of 13.00 seconds, leaving a high-caliber field including Sasha Zhoya (13.06) and Freddie Crittenden (13.09) trailing.
And just to flex his versatility, he turned up the very next day and clocked a sizzling 10.17 seconds in the 100m. It’s the kind of speed that demands attention, and it certainly caught Olympic Legend Justin Gatlin.
“When I see the time that Trey’s running right now, I hear a theme song… ‘I got money in the bank,’” Gatlin joked.
But behind the lighthearted quip was a sharp insight:
“When a hurdler has a rhythm, it’s very hard to beat that hurdler.”
And that rhythm? Trey’s got it in spades.
Winning Without Being Pushed
At the Adidas Atlanta City Games on May 17, Cunningham cruised to a 13.16-second win, a time that might be considered “average” by his own recent standards. But as Gatlin pointed out, if he’s consistently hitting those numbers without serious competition breathing down his neck, what happens when he’s pushed to the limit? Could we be witnessing the emergence of a future world record contender?
With the World Championships approaching fast, all eyes are on Trey Cunningham, not just to keep his winning streak alive, but to see how deep he can dig when the stakes are highest.
From Winfield to World Stage
Cunningham’s rise is a story rooted in resilience and grit. Raised in the small town of Winfield, Alabama, Trey originally dreamt of a basketball career before the track came calling. By the time he graduated from Winfield City High in 2017, he was already being touted as a hurdles prodigy.
At Florida State University, Cunningham’s dominance continued. He clinched two NCAA 110m hurdles titles by 2022, including a stunning 13.00 personal best at the NCAA Championships. That same year, he grabbed silver at the World Championships, signaling his arrival on the global stage.
His breakthrough season in 2024, particularly at the Grand Slam Track Miami meet, where he bagged a $100,000 bonus for sweeping the 110m hurdles and 100m, confirmed what many already suspected: Trey Cunningham was the real deal.
“If there’s something we want to achieve, we say it. Putting it in words makes it real,” Cunningham once said.
The Road Ahead
As the 2025 season heats up, with a crucial stop at Philadelphia’s Grand Slam from May 30th to June 1st, the question remains: Can Trey Cunningham maintain this blistering form and take it all the way to Paris 2028?
If Gatlin’s instincts are anything to go by, the 110m hurdles world may soon be witnessing a new king rise. And if Cunningham’s rhythm holds, the record books might need some updating too.
