INDIANAPOLIS – Michael Tinsley (Round Rock, Texas.) has been named USA Track & Field’s Athlete of the Week after winning the 400 meter hurdles at the adidas Grand Prix in New York City, on Saturday.
“I was just trying to stay relaxed and not tighten up after the last hurdle,” Tinsley said. “I knew that Javier [Culson] was in front of me and I wanted to catch him, but I knew I had to stay relaxed if I was going to do it.”Tinsley, the 2012 Olympic silver medalist, recorded a season’s best mark crossing the finish line in 48.43 seconds. Tinsley edged out Olympic bronze medalist Javier Culson of Puerto Rico by a tenth of a second.
Tinsley posted his season’s best time despite light rain. His mark is the world’s third fastest in the 400m hurdles this year.
“It felt really good to win at the adidas Grand Prix, it really meant a lot to me to win at that meet,” Tinsley said. “Javier [Culson] and Johnny [Dutch] are doing really well this year, so to win this meet lets me know that my training is going really well.”
Now in its 12th year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week and features the athlete on www.usatf.org. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.
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