Cordell Tinch is happier not being a race favourite, but the American high hurdler might have to get used to it after his stunning run of 12.87 seconds at the Shanghai-Keqiao Diamond League on Saturday.
The powerful 24-year-old's time not only won him back-to-back Diamond League races in successive weeks but made him the joint fourth fastest man of all time in the 110m metres hurdles alongside 2008 Olympic champion Dayron Robles.
Tinch's passage into the track elite has been far from orthodox, however, and for now he is content to concentrate on incremental improvements as he targets a place on the U.S. team for this year's world championships.
"I'm just happy to come out compete again and honestly, just build off of last week. So as we continue to go through this season, I just want to get better each week," he told reporters.
"Technically, last year was my first full season as a pro. They say, your first full year as a pro, it's a learning process. You got to learn things. So there's a lot of things that I had to learn."
In 2022, Tinch was a cellphone salesman in Green Bay after having given up a football scholarship and a shot at Division I track and field at the University of Minnesota.
He was lured back into athletics in the Division II programme at Pitt State and within a year was delivering eye-catching performances in the high jump, long jump and most particularly the high hurdles.
His first year as a professional in 2024 started well but he hit a rough patch after a mid-season operation and missed out on a spot in the U.S. team for the Olympics after finishing fourth in 13.03 seconds at the trials.
That was hardly a disgrace given the incredible American depth in the event and world record holder Grant Holloway duly went on to win gold in Paris with his compatriot Daniel Roberts in second.
Tinch beat Holloway in the Diamond League opener in Xiamen in a world-leading 13.06 last week before producing his stunning run at the China Textile City Sports Centre on Saturday.
"I'll be honest, I kind of felt like I was going to run something fast," he added.
"I'd been getting out very well all week, but it's a matter of trying to finish those races when I get out well, because I'll get out well and I'll get a little relaxed towards the end."
There was no easing up on Saturday and Tinch said he was determined to run as fast as it took to secure a ticket to Tokyo for September's world championships.
"I think we're just scratching the surface of this season," he said.
"I don't want to miss any more USA teams. So regardless of what I got to do, I thought (13.03) last year was fast enough, but it's not, so sometimes you got to go run 12.8 and figure it out from there."