2022 World Champs silver medallist arrived in Rome with a heavy heart but leaves doubts behind! Alabama-born Trey Cunningham, after facing back-to-back setbacks last year at events like the Philadelphia Slam, USATF Outdoor Championships, and more, looked disappointed at times. But this year he stayed “present” even in an off year. And he even showed his form with a 7.48 win at the NB Indoor, tying the world lead. And now, just when he looked ready to make a bigger mark at the Rome Diamond League, he faced another setback, but still did not give up.

On June 5, in his season opener over 110m hurdles, Cunningham,27, produced the race of his life. He ran a 12.98 world-leading run plus personal best. And in doing so, he finally broke the 13-second barrier after three earlier attempts at 13.00. Interestingly, this win also broke a 27-year-old meeting record set by Allen Johnson in 1999, putting him into elite company as the 29th member of the sub-13 club.

However, Orlando Bennett followed in 13.31, while Enrique Llopis took third in 13.32. Jamal Britt, who entered this one undefeated and was pushing Cunningham over the race’s opening stages, got tripped up over the final few hurdles and finished 9th.

For Cunningham, the win also came with challenges. “I had struggles with my travels; my luggage got lost. But I am always ready. I pack an extra pair of spikes and kit for race day in my backpack,” he said, reflecting on how he handled the unexpected. But now, as he achieved the big mark, he said:

“This was a long time coming. I kind of hoped to run this last year.” That reference pointed back to his near-miss  like at the U.S. Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, where he finished fourth in 13.10, missing the podium by just six-hundredths of a second and falling short of selection for the World Championships.

And now, as he broke the record, he said:”Beating the meeting record of Allen Johnson, who is an all-time great, set 27 years ago, is special. He was one of the legends of the event. I am very excited for the World Ultimate Championships. It’s going to be 16 fastest people and only one winner. We don’t get to race a lot so I will enjoy it. The motto this year is to enjoy what is happening right now.”

Even with the breakthrough, he admitted the physical load had been building in training. “I’ve been really heavy in the legs. Coach has really been hammering it because the end goal is the Ultimate Championships. Be the fastest guy on the planet at the end of the year.” But that heavy training phase traces back to the foundation he built during his college years.

Trey Cunningham’s hard road to rebuild at 27

Cunningham first came into major attention during his NCAA days. His breakout moment arrived in 2022 at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships, where he won the 110m hurdles in 13.00 seconds. That performance was not just a title win; it also became the second fastest NCAA time in history at the time.

That year he made the transition to full-fledged elite senior competition. He competed in a strong nationwide field at the 2022 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, earning his spot in the world by coming in second. He took part in the World Athletics Championships of 2022, where he claimed the silver medal in the 110m hurdles. The race helped to propel him to a world champion.

His career thereafter was a bit more irregular. He was still very much a player in 2024 but not always as sharp as he could be. He finished 9th in the final in 13.39 seconds at the US Olympic Trials, just missing an Olympic team berth. He was still able to show glimpses of speed this season. At the 2024 New York Grand Prix, he won in 13.21 seconds.

In the 2025 season, it was both pressure and pressure. On 31st May 2025, he was third at the Philadelphia Slam with a time of 13.18 seconds behind Jamal Britt and Cordell Tinch. He got off to a good start at the USATF Outdoor Championships in Eugene, but failed to be the first to reach the podium in the 110m hurdles final.

At the Diamond League, it was pretty mixed. In Lausanne, he took third time in 13.19 seconds and in Zürich he came in sixth in 13.32 seconds. Still, despite the ups and downs, there are signs of momentum returning in 2026.