Ja'Kobe Tharp

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Ja'Kobe Tharp
Tharp at the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships
Personal information
Born (2005-09-30) September 30, 2005
Murfreesboro, Tennessee, US
Sport
SportAthletics
EventHurdles
Achievements and titles
Personal bests60m hurdles 7.32 (2026)
110m hurdles: 12.75 (2026) WR (pending)
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  United States
World U20 Championships
Gold medal – first place2024 Lima110m hurdles

Ja'Kobe Tharp (/dʒəˈkoʊbi ˈθɑːrp/; born September 30, 2005) is an American athlete specializing in the high hurdles. As of 2026, he holds the current world record in 110 meters hurdles, with a time of 12.75 seconds set at the 2026 NCAA Outdoor Championships. He won gold medals in 110 m hurdles at the 2025 American Championships and the 2024 World U20 Championships. He was a finalist at the 2025 World Championships and won the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships. In the indoor 60 meters hurdles, he holds the third fastest time, and the fastest for a college athlete, with a time of 7.32 seconds set at the 2026 NCAA Indoor Championships.[1]

Early and personal life

Tharp was born in Murfreesboro, Tennessee,[2][3] and initially raised in Fulton, Kentucky. He later moved and attended Rockvale High School in Tennessee.[4] Both his parents were basketball players; his father, Jimmie Ware, was a high school player and his mother, Aminda, played for Tennessee–Martin and Dyersburg State CC.[5]

Career

2024: World U20 champion

He finished runner-up at the NCAA Championships in June 2024, running for Auburn University. He finished the NCAA season with a 13.18 seconds personal best.[6] He achieved that in winning the Southeastern Conference in Gainesville, Florida. This time set a new national U20 record breaking the previous mark set by Renaldo Nehemiah in 1978.[7] Later that month, he won the 110m hurdle final at the USATF U20 Championships in Eugene, Oregon.[8]

He competed at the 2024 World Athletics U20 Championships in Lima, Peru, qualifying for the final with a year world U20 leading time of 13.11 seconds.[9] He won the gold medal in the final with a 13.05 seconds (-0.5 m/s) lifetime best time, and a national U20 record over the 99 cm hurdles, as well as a 2024 world U20 leading time.[10][11]

2025: American champion

Tharp ran 7.45 seconds to win the 2025 NCAA Indoor Championships in Virginia Beach on March 15, 2025.[12] He ran 13.15 seconds for the 110m hurdles to finish second at the 2025 SEC Championships, a time which moved him to fifth on the NCAA all-time list.[13] In June 2025, he also won the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships 110 meters hurdles title in Eugene, Oregon, in a personal best time of 13.05 seconds.[14][15] He ran 13.17 seconds to place third at the 2025 Herculis event in Monaco on his Diamond League debut on July 11, 2025.[16]

On August 3, 2025, he ran a personal best 13.01 seconds to win the 2025 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon ahead of Cordell Tinch.[17] He was a finalist competing at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in the men's 110 meters hurdles in Tokyo, Japan, in September 2025, placing sixth overall.[18][19] In December he was one of three finalist for the 2025 Bowerman Award, ultimately won by Jordan Anthony.[20]

2026: World record holder

In February 2026, he won the 60 meters hurdles in 7.48 seconds at the SEC Indoor Championships, winning by 0.02 seconds from Ja'Qualon Scott.[21] Tharp ran a personal best of 7.36 to win his preliminary 60m hurdles heat on March 13 at the 2026 NCAA Indoor Championships. The time was the second fastest in NCAA history and just .01 seconds behind the NCAA record of Grant Holloway, and the fourth fastest in world history.[22] The following day, Tharp won the final in 7.32 seconds to break Holloway's 7.35 collegiate record, and move to second on the American all-time list and third worldwide behind Holloway and Colin Jackson.[23][24] In May, Tharp ran 13.05 to win the 110 m hurdles at both the SEC Championships and NCAA East Regionals and qualified for the 2026 NCAA Outdoor Championships.[25][26][27]

In the preliminary heats of the NCAA championship in Hayward Field, Eugene, he broke the world record with a time of 12.75 seconds (with a tail wind of 1.0 m/s[note 1]),[28] which is pending ratification. This broke the previous record of 12.80 seconds, set by compatriot Aries Merritt in 2012.[29] It was the first world record set at the NCAA Championships since Dwight Stones in the high jump in 1976, and was run on the same track (Hayward Field) as the women's world record, set by Tobi Amusan in 2022. Stones was the ESPN coverage announcer for the race.[28] Tharp expressed surprise at breaking the record, stating "It wasn't on my bingo chart for this meet, not at all. I'm speechless, seriously."[30] On June 12, Tharp returned to win the final with 12.90 seconds into a head-wind, winning ahead of Kendrick Smallwood, who ran 12.95 seconds.[31]

Note

  1. The limit to qualify for a world record is 2.0 m/s.

References

  1. "Ja'Kobe Tharp". World Athletics. Archived from the original on August 27, 2024. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  2. Orlando, Alexandra (June 11, 2026). "THE KID WHO BROKE HISTORY IN A QUALIFYING HEAT". Panam Sports.
  3. "'I'm here to stay': Auburn's Ja'Kobe Tharp, world record holder". Auburn Tigers - Official Athletics Website.
  4. "After breaking 40-year-old TSSAA record, Rockvale track's Jakobe Tharp has bigger goals". dnj.com. Archived from the original on May 8, 2022. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
  5. Rosen, Karen (May 31, 2024). "Ja'Kobe Tharp — Rebuilt & Revved Up For NCAA Champs". Track and Field News. Archived from the original on August 31, 2024. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
  6. Mull, Cory (June 14, 2024). "Ja'Kobe Tharp Drops Ridiculously Fast Time At U.S. U20 Championships". Flotrack. Archived from the original on August 31, 2024. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
  7. "THARP'S HURDLES RECORD* EARNS HIM USATF ATHLETE OF THE WEEK HONORS". usatf.org. May 18, 2024. Archived from the original on June 1, 2024. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
  8. "YOUNG AMERICAN STANDOUTS EARN PLACES ON USATF U20 TEAM". Runnerspace. June 14, 2024. Archived from the original on August 30, 2024. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  9. "Almayew sets steeplechase championship record to win world U20 title in Lima". World Athletics. August 30, 2024. Archived from the original on August 30, 2024. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  10. "Walaza storms to sprint double at World U20 Championships in Lima". World Athletics. August 31, 2024. Archived from the original on August 31, 2024. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
  11. "AKAOMA ODELUGA, JA'KOBE THARP, SCOTTIE VINES WIN GOLD FOR U.S. AT WORLD ATHLETICS U20 CHAMPIONSHIPS". Runnerspace. August 31, 2024. Archived from the original on August 31, 2024. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
  12. "Ja'Kobe Tharp ran 7.45 to win the 2025 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championship". flotrack. March 15, 2025. Archived from the original on April 23, 2025. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
  13. Woods, David (May 18, 2025). "JAMEESIA FORD, JORDAN ANTHONY RUN BLAZING DOUBLES; GEORGIA WOMEN, ARKANSAS MEN WIN SEC TITLES". Runnerspace. Archived from the original on November 30, 2025. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
  14. Nelson, Matt (June 13, 2025). "Tapiwanashe Makarawu speeds to shocking victory at the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships". Olympics.com. Archived from the original on September 23, 2025. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
  15. "Nathaniel, Makarawu and Mullings shine at NCAA Championships". World Athletics. June 14, 2025. Archived from the original on June 14, 2025. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
  16. "Lyles back with a bang in Monaco". World Athletics. July 11, 2025. Archived from the original on July 11, 2025. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  17. "Tharp surprises in 110m-hurdles victory". NBC Sports. August 3, 2025. Archived from the original on August 6, 2025. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
  18. "World Athletics Championships, Tokyo 2025". World Athletics. September 16, 2025. Archived from the original on December 6, 2025. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
  19. "USA TRACK & FIELD NAMES TEAM FOR 2025 WORLD ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS". Dyestat. September 2, 2025. Archived from the original on September 2, 2025. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
  20. "Jordan Anthony Wins the 2025 Bowerman Award". Flotrack.org. December 18, 2025. Archived from the original on December 25, 2025. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  21. "ARKANSAS MEN, FLORIDA WOMEN HOIST TROPHIES AT SEC INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS". Runnerspace. March 1, 2026. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
  22. Gault, Jonathan (March 14, 2026). "NCAA Indoor Championships Day 1: Colin Sahlman anchors NAU to DMR title, Habtom Samuel wins 5000 over Marco Langon". Lets Run. Retrieved March 14, 2026.
  23. Gault, Jonathan (March 15, 2026). "NCAA Indoor men: Colin Sahlman wins controversial 3000 via DQ, as sprint records fall". Lets Run. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
  24. "Kaalund and Tharp threaten world records at NCAA Indoor Championships". World Athletics. March 14, 2026. Archived from the original on March 15, 2026. Retrieved March 14, 2026.
  25. "NCAA Track And Field Championships 2026 Qualifiers". Flotrack. June 2, 2026. Archived from the original on June 9, 2026. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
  26. "ARKANSAS MEN, FLORIDA WOMEN CELEBRATE SEC TEAM TITLES". Dye Stat. May 17, 2026. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
  27. "NCAA EAST: KANYINSOLA AJAYI (100) AND SAMUEL OGAZI (400) RUN WORLD-LEADING TMES". Dye Stat. May 30, 2026. Retrieved May 30, 2026.
  28. Gault, Jonathan (June 10, 2026). "Auburn's Ja'Kobe Tharp runs stunning 12.75 WORLD RECORD in 110m hurdles in NCAA prelims". Lets Run. Retrieved June 11, 2026.
  29. "Ja'Kobe Tharp breaks 110m hurdles world record at NCAA Track and Field Championships". NBC Sports. June 11, 2026.
  30. "'Not on my bingo chart' - Tharp smashes 110m hurdles record". BBC. June 11, 2026. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  31. "OREGON'S SIMEON BIRNBAUM CLOSES FAST TO SECURE ELUSIVE 1,500 METERS TITLE". Dye Stat. June 13, 2026. Retrieved June 13, 2026.