In Doha 2019, the 21‑year‑old burst onto the scene with a commanding 13.10s to seize his first outdoor world title. Three years later, in Eugene 2022, he emphatically defended his crown in 13.03s, asserting his dominance. Then in Budapest 2023, he etched history with a three‑peat, storming to victory in 12.96s. All culminated in Paris 2024, where he powered to Olympic gold in 12.99s. Such is the dominance of Grant Holloway in the 110-meter hurdles. Now imagine winning over him!

Trey Cunningham made it happen. On June 20, 2025, in the Paris Diamond League, the USA track and field star finished ahead of the Olympian. In the 110 mH finals, Cunningham clocked a time of 13.00 to finish first, while the Olympic gold medalist finished fifth with 13.11. How would that feel, and how could that happen? Trey Cunningham has the answer.

“I feel really good. You know, I almost didn’t make the flight—I had food poisoning Sunday, so I had to even push my flight to today and see if I was able to do the 10-hour flight. But I’m glad I came, got my first Diamond League win,” said Trey Cunningham in a post-race interview. has been a frequent finalist in the 110 m hurdles at the Diamond League from 2022 through mid‑2024, though he has yet to claim a win until now. How did he make it happen?

He said, “We’ve been putting some really great training sessions together, indicating I can run this fast even on a bad day, and that’s what we did. We equaled my PB, and I’m super excited to see what comes next.” Trey Cunningham’s personal best in the 110 m hurdles is 13.00 seconds, officially recorded on June 10, 2022, in Eugene, Oregon, during the NCAA Championships—ranking it among the fastest collegiate times ever. He matched that exact time again at the Grand Slam Track meet in Miami on May 3, 2025, and now he has done it once again.

The interviewer then asked him if he was eyeing a 12 on the clock. Replying to this, the track and field athlete said, “Yeah, I think everybody does. A lot of people get hung up on that 12, just simply because it’s like a magic number for the men’s hurdles. But I mean, only so many people have done it in history.” A time in the range of 12 seconds is considered elite for men’s 110 m hurdles; only a select group of athletes have ever managed it. Aries Merritt holds the 110 m hurdles world record with 12.80 s. Grant Holloway has set the record for the most sub-13 races ever, achieving over a dozen such performances.

He also said that he believes what truly matters is winning. In his view, victories are what people remember most, far more than just fast times. “There are plenty of people who’ve run fast and not gotten a medal, and they’re not really remembered as much except they ran fast once. So I think the winning is more important, and if I focus on that, the times will come,” he said. Medals or no medals, a fast or slow run, a win over Grant Holloway is a star in his career, and it’s not the first time he has done that.

Trey Cunningham has done it before

Over 23 head-to-head races, Grant Holloway leads 18–5, but Cunningham’s victories are no flukes. It all began on March 30, 2018, at the Florida Relays in Gainesville, when a 19‑year‑old Cunningham roared to 13.45 s, leaving Holloway in his wake at 13.70 s. Not content with just one bold statement, he struck again on May 26, 2018, at the NCAA East Prelims in Tampa, running 13.58 s to Holloway’s 13.66 s, proving the first encounter wasn’t a fluke.

Fast forward to August 26, 2022, at Athletissima in Lausanne, Cunningham delivered another stunner. He surged to second in 13.10 s, pushing Holloway to third in 13.11 s, a race decided by a razor-thin hundredth. Then, on April 19, 2025, at the Tom Jones Memorial in Gainesville, Cunningham made history again. He unleashed a world-leading 13.09 s, defeating Holloway’s 13.18 s to hand him his first U.S. defeat in over a decade.

And finally, he clinched his fifth victory over the Olympic gold medalist in the Paris Diamond League. What are your thoughts on this young performance?