Ja'Kobe Tharp

Ja'Kobe Tharp
Personal information
Born (2005-09-30) 30 September 2005
Sport
SportAthletics
Event
Hurdles
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)60m hurdles 7.32 (2026)
110m hurdles: 13.01 (2025)
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  United States
World U20 Championships
2024 Lima 110m hurdles

Ja’Kobe Tharp (born 30 September 2005) is an American hurdler. He won the 110 metres hurdles at the 2025 American Championships and the 2024 World U20 Championships. He was a finalist at the 2025 World Championships. In 2026, he became the third fastest man to run the 60 metres hurdles and broke Grant Holloway's collegiate record as he retained his NCAA Indoor Championships title, first won in 2025. That year, he also won the NCAA Outdoor Championships over 110 metres hurdles.[1]

Early life

He attended Rockvale High School in Tennessee.[2]

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.[3] 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.[4] Later that month, he won the 110m hurdle final at the USATF U20 Championships in Eugene, Oregon.[5]

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.[6] He won the gold medal in the final with a 13.05 seconds (-0.5m/s) lifetime best time, and a national U20 record over the 99cm hurdles, as well as a 2024 world U20 leading time.[7][8]

2025: American champion

Tharp ran 7.45 seconds to win the 2025 NCAA Indoor Championships in Virginia Beach on 15 March 2025.[9] 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.[10] In June 2025, he also won the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships 110 metres hurdles title in Eugene, Oregon, in a personal best time of 13.05 seconds.[11][12] He ran 13.17 seconds to place third at the 2025 Herculis event in Monaco on his Diamond League debut on 11 July 2025.[13]

On 3 August 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.[14] He was a finalist competing at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in the men's 110 metres hurdles in Tokyo, Japan, in September 2025, placing sixth overall.[15][16] In December he was one of three finalist for the 2025 Bowerman Award, ultimately won by Jordan Anthony.[17]

2026: Collegiate record holder

In February 2026, he won the 60 metres hurdles in 7.48 seconds at the SEC Indoor Championships, winning by 0.02 seconds from Ja'Qualon Scott.[18] Tharp ran a personal best of 7.36 to win his preliminary 60m hurdles heat on 13 March 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.[19] 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.[20][21]

Personal life

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.[22]

References

  1. ^ "Ja'Kobe Tharp". World Athletics. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  2. ^ "After breaking 40-year-old TSSAA record, Rockvale track's Jakobe Tharp has bigger goals". dnj.com. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  3. ^ Mull, Cory (14 June 2024). "Ja'Kobe Tharp Drops Ridiculously Fast Time At U.S. U20 Championships". Flotrack. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  4. ^ "THARP'S HURDLES RECORD* EARNS HIM USATF ATHLETE OF THE WEEK HONORS". usatf.org. 18 May 2024. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  5. ^ "YOUNG AMERICAN STANDOUTS EARN PLACES ON USATF U20 TEAM". Runnerspace. 14 June 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  6. ^ "Almayew sets steeplechase championship record to win world U20 title in Lima". World Athletics. 30 August 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  7. ^ "Walaza storms to sprint double at World U20 Championships in Lima". World Athletics. 31 August 2024. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  8. ^ "AKAOMA ODELUGA, JA'KOBE THARP, SCOTTIE VINES WIN GOLD FOR U.S. AT WORLD ATHLETICS U20 CHAMPIONSHIPS". Runnerspace. 31 August 2024. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  9. ^ "Ja'Kobe Tharp ran 7.45 to win the 2025 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championship". flotrack. 15 March 2025. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
  10. ^ Woods, David (18 May 2025). "JAMEESIA FORD, JORDAN ANTHONY RUN BLAZING DOUBLES; GEORGIA WOMEN, ARKANSAS MEN WIN SEC TITLES". Runnerspace. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  11. ^ Nelson, Matt (13 June 2025). "Tapiwanashe Makarawu speeds to shocking victory at the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships". Olympics.com. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  12. ^ "Nathaniel, Makarawu and Mullings shine at NCAA Championships". World Athletics. 14 June 2025. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  13. ^ "Lyles back with a bang in Monaco". World Athletics. 11 July 2025. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
  14. ^ "Tharp surprises in 110m-hurdles victory". NBC Sports. August 3, 2025. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
  15. ^ "World Athletics Championships, Tokyo 2025". World Athletics. 16 Sep 2025. Retrieved 24 September 2025.
  16. ^ "USA TRACK & FIELD NAMES TEAM FOR 2025 WORLD ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS". Dyestat. 2 September 2025. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  17. ^ "Jordan Anthony Wins the 2025 Bowerman Award". Flotrack.org. 18 December 2025. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  18. ^ "ARKANSAS MEN, FLORIDA WOMEN HOIST TROPHIES AT SEC INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS". Runnerspace. 1 March 2026. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
  19. ^ 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 14 March 2026.
  20. ^ Gault, Jonathan (March 15, 2026). "NCAA Indoor men: Colin Sahlman wins controversial 3000 via DQ, as sprint records fall". Lets Run. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
  21. ^ "Kaalund and Tharp threaten world records at NCAA Indoor Championships". World Athletics. 14 March 2026. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  22. ^ Rosen, Karen (May 31, 2024). "Ja'Kobe Tharp — Rebuilt & Revved Up For NCAA Champs". Track and Field News. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.