Reigning world and Diamond League champion Cordell Tinch will return to action in the men’s 110m hurdles at the second meeting of the season in Shanghai/Keqiao on May 16.
Tinch returns to Keqiao a year after breaking the meeting record and setting a world lead with 12.87 at the meeting last season.
That performance made him the fourth-fastest man in history and set the tone for what would prove to be a life-changing season for the American.
Tinch roared to four Diamond League wins on the Road to the Final in 2025, before going on to claim the series title in Zurich and the gold medal at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
Just a few years after he almost gave up on the sport entirely, it marked a fairytale rise to the top for the 26-year-old.
He returns to action as the world number one in 2026 and will be looking to improve on what is still a personal best of 12.87 in Keqiao.
“I cannot wait to make my way back to Shanghai/Keqiao this year,” said Tinch in a video message to Chinese fans.
Tinch joins 100m hurdles Olympic champion Masai Russell and pole vault world record holder Mondo Duplantis in Keqiao.
Like Russell, he is also scheduled to compete at the other Chinese Wanda Diamond League meeting in Xiamen on May 23.
Shanghai/Keqiao is the second leg of the 2026 Wanda Diamond League, which begins in Doha on May 8 and ends at the two-day series final in Brussels on September 4-5.
The series unites the biggest names in track and field in some of the world’s most iconic arenas, crossing four continents and 15 cities over the course of the season.
