Who is US track star Trey Cunningham?
HURDLER Trey Cunningham competed in the May 2024 US Olympic Trials.
The skilled athlete has gained attention after publicly coming out as gay.
Who is US track star Trey Cunningham?
Trey Cunningham was born on August 26, 1998, and grew up in Winfield, Alabama.
The 25-year-old US track star specializes in the 110-meter hurdles.
He earned a silver medal in the 110-meter hurdles event at the 2022 World Athletics Championships.
Cunningham previously competed for the Florida State Seminoles at Florida State University.
Read More On Track Stars
When did Trey Cunningham come out?
Cunningham publicly came out as gay in a July 2024 interview with The New York Times.
The sports star cited a technique he has used in his training over the years.
"We say our goals out loud. If there's something we want to achieve, we say it. Putting something in words makes it real," he said.
Cunningham came out to his friends and family five years earlier at age 20, describing it as the "scariest thing I've ever done."
Most read in Sport
He said calling his parents to tell them was the hardest part, and that it resulted in some "pushback."
"What was true for me was also true for my parents. They had certain expectations for their little boy, for what his life would be like, and that's OK. I gave them a five-year grace period. I had to take my time. They could take theirs, too," the hurdler told the publication.
Cunningham got the feeling that some of his friends were "waiting for me," so confirming his sexuality did not impact those friendships.
"I was really lucky to have a group of people who did not care," he said.
As the outlet notes, many male athletes have not felt comfortable talking about their sexuality with the public.
Cunningham hopes track and field, as well as our culture in general, will get to a place where "people do not have to 'come out,'" and where they can "just get on with being them."
Did Trey Cunningham make Team USA for the Paris Olympics?
Although he competed in the May 2024 Olympic Trials, Cunningham did not make Team USA for the Paris Olympics.
Per The New York Times, he placed ninth in the 110-meter hurdles in a "stacked" field.
Read More on The US Sun
"If you do well in the U.S. trials, you know you have a good shot at a medal," the star athlete said.
According to World Athletics, Cunningham is ranked 11th in the world in the Men's 110 Meter Hurdles.