He sold cellphones during the pandemic — now he's days away from making the U.S. Olympic track team

U.S. track and field athlete Cordell Tinch knows about life’s hurdles.

After previously selling cellphones and operating machinery that makes toilet paper to pay the bills during the pandemic, he’s now chasing a coveted spot on the U.S. Olympic team for the 2024 Paris Games.

Tinch, who advanced to the 110-meter hurdle semifinal on Thursday in Eugene, Ore., at the U.S. Olympic Trials, described an upbringing that began in Green Bay, Wisconsin, when his mother Elizabeth Simmons had Tinch when she was just 16 years old.

“We were in a shelter because I was homeless,” Simmons told NBC News. “But seeing him, it made me say, ‘OK Elizabeth, you can cry later, but you gotta get this done today because he needs to eat. He needs clothes on his back.’”

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Tinch overcame those odds by becoming a two-time state champion at Bay Port High School and setting the WIAA Division I state record in the triple jump. His efforts earned him a track and football scholarship to the University of Minnesota. He later transferred to Kansas to join a former coach.

But when the pandemic arrived, Tinch revealed that he needed a “break” from college and left to return home to work.

“I took that break more so for my mental health,” he said to NBC Sports.

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Tinch said he contemplated leaving the sport for good, however, his love for competition endured. After joining the Pittsburg State track team in January 2023, he made his mark just five months in. Finch ran the 110-meter hurdles at the Trackwired Arkansas Grand Prix in 12.96 — the fastest time in the world.

His hot streak continued last summer when he finished in second place in the national championship and then narrowly missed making the finals at the world championships in Budapest with a time of 13.31 seconds.

Now in Eugene this week for a chance to qualify for the Paris Games, Tinch said he’s fueled by his biggest supporter.

“I always put my mom on the highest pedestal,” he said.

And despite the challenges they’ve faced, his determination has never wavered. He said his goal is to provide hope to others who have faced similar paths.

“To have people be inspired by me is the biggest thing,” he said. “I want to impact people the way the people around me have impacted me.”

Greg Hyatt is a 2024 NBC News campaign embed.