Trey Cunningham entered the Zurich Diamond League after enjoying one of the biggest breakthroughs of his 2026 season. The American was already off to a big win in Rome, where he swept to a 12.98-second 110m hurdles victory and had finally broken the 13-second barrier. He continued to put together strong performances in the Paris and Silesia Diamond League campaigns, but his latest outing brought a setback as he found himself dealing with a problem during the race before being forced to settle for second.

On August 27, Cunningham finished second in the men’s 110m hurdles in Zurich, clocking 13.19 seconds as home favorite Jason Joseph took the victory in 13.11. Austria’s Enzo Diessl completed the podium in 13.22. While Cunningham still walked away with another Diamond League podium, the race was far from straightforward for the American.

After the race, Cunningham revealed, “In pure Zurich fashion, I’ve been hit again in the race. This time not visible scratching.” The contact was not the only thing Cunningham felt went wrong. His immediate assessment was that he simply needed to run faster, particularly after what he described as his “worst start of the season”.

Despite the poor opening, Cunningham felt his race began to come together as he moved through the hurdles. He specifically pointed to the section around the sixth hurdle, where he believed his movement was much better. However, Cunningham is now focused on the mistakes he could control. For the American, understanding exactly where a race went wrong is part of what separates a professional performance from simply hoping everything falls into place.

“We’re moving in the right direction,” Cunningham said. “And if you don’t know what you’re doing, I feel that you’re not a pro. You’re just relying on luck to get by.” That mindset has helped Cunningham build one of the strongest seasons of his career. His Rome victory was the standout moment, with his 12.98 making him a sub-13-second hurdler for the first time.

“I can probably tell you exactly where I messed up almost every time I race,” he said. With those lessons in mind, Cunningham will now look to make adjustments and return stronger in his next race.

However, for Jason Joseph it was a moment to be savored. The Swiss hurdler had just won his biggest career success in 2026, the European Championship in Birmingham, in 13.12 seconds.

“This was an important victory for me, beating all the others. That is amazing. When I crossed the finish line, the applause was so heavy. It felt louder than at my victory in Birmingham.” Joseph had also been hoping to produce an even longer time. A sub-13-second run would have given him a new personal best, but despite falling short of that target, he was thrilled to secure the win. “I had hoped that I ran a sub-13, I would have loved to get a new PB.”

While Joseph had plenty to celebrate, Cunningham still has another chance to make his mark this season.

Cunningham’s 2026 breakthrough sets up one final test in Brussels

Cunningham’s season in 2026 has been off to a great start, with a second-place finish at the USA Indoor Championships in New York, where he set up a 7.38 time in the 1st round before finishing with a 7.40 in the 60m hurdles. He then went on to run a personal best 7.35 in the World Indoor Championships semifinal in Toruń, finishing third with 7.43.

His outdoor season brought an even bigger breakthrough. At the Rome Diamond League, Cunningham stormed to a 12.98-second victory. He followed that with a 13.06 heat win and a third-place finish in 13.07 in Paris, before taking third in London in 13.12. Cunningham returned to the podium at the Silesia Diamond League, where he clocked 13.08 seconds for second place behind Ja’Kobe Tharp’s 13.05. 

Now, Cunningham has one final major opportunity in the Diamond League Final in Brussels on September 4-5. He enters the final ranked fourth with 27 points, behind Jamal Britt, Cordell Tinch and Orlando Bennett.

For Cunningham, Zurich may have exposed areas to fix, but Brussels offers the perfect stage to show what he can do when everything comes together.