Ja'Kobe Tharp's rollercoaster season

World record holder Ja'Kobe Tharp ran 12.75 seconds to break the 110m hurdles world record on June 10, then clocked 14.38 in a Diamond League race in Lausanne on August 21. The Auburn junior turned professional after winning the NCAA title and now navigates a season of extreme highs and lows against a newly deep field.

Tharp smashed the nearly 14-year-old world record in the NCAA semifinals, becoming the first man to run under 12.8 seconds. He followed his 12.75 with an NCAA title win in 12.90, then posted times of 12.91, 12.85 and 12.89 as a professional. This surge contributed to a new standard of sub-13-second hurdling this summer.

A New Era of Competition

Jamal Britt has also posted five sub-13-second times this summer. Kendrick Smallwood and Trey Cunningham cracked the sub-13 club for the first time this year, while Bradley Franklin ran 13.00 flat. World and Olympic champion Grant Holloway has not competed since September of last year due to injury.

"This is probably the most competitive the hurdles have been in a while," Tharp told Track & Field News. "When Grant was on his tear, he was the one man. That was it."

That day was not in Lausanne. Just 0.01 behind Britt at the sixth hurdle, Tharp clobbered the barrier and coasted in last with a time of 14.38. He rebounded two days later in Chorzów, edging Trey Cunningham 13.05 to 13.08. Britt was third in 13.09 with world champion Cordell Tinch fourth in 13.22.

"If I can come out here and beat a loaded field each and every weekend, I'll be in a good spot," Tharp said after the Chorzów race. "Last week wasn't my best, but bad races happen and we move on."

The Philosophy of Consistency

Coach Ken Harnden, recently promoted to head coach at Auburn, shapes Tharp's approach. "One thing Coach Ken likes to say is, 'We don't have to be perfect.' We don't really chase perfection. We chase consistency," Tharp says. They never discuss target times, only race execution and winning.

Harnden, an Olympian for Zimbabwe in the 400m hurdles, competed during the 1990s golden age of the 110m hurdles. He sees parallels now. "I don't think the depth has been there between the mid-90s, late 90s and now," Harnden said. "With that depth back, that's what makes it so much fun to watch."

He theorizes that increased awareness of concussions in American football two decades ago may have steered more athletes toward track. He also cites great coaching and global talent like Japan's Shunsuke Izumiya and Cuba's Kendry Menéndez.

Tharp's season included a first professional loss at the Prefontaine Classic, where Britt ran a 12.86 personal best to Tharp's 12.91. Harnden blamed Tharp's mindset. "He got to hurdle 5 and decided he was going to break the World Record again instead of executing the last 5," the coach said.

Tharp learned from the experience. "I had to realize that I should just focus on what I'm doing," he stated. He was back on top in Budapest and London, the only hurdler to dip under 13 seconds in those races.

Looking Ahead

Tharp's European campaign continues with meets in Bellinzona, Brussels, and the Ultimate Championship in Budapest in September. The Ultimate Championship will be his first global senior stage after winning World U20 gold in 2025. A win would boost his confidence for the 2027 World Championships in Beijing and the LA28 Olympics.

"If I go out there and put my best foot forward, there's nobody on this planet that can run with me," Tharp says. "If I'm on my A-game, for sure."

He has felt targeted since winning the SEC title as an Auburn freshman in 2024. "I've always had to train a little bit harder because I know guys are coming for me," Tharp says. Harnden confirms his drive, comparing his desire to win to that of former champion Allen Johnson.

Tharp insisted on staying in Auburn to train with Harnden after signing with adidas. He is taking online classes and is on pace to graduate in three and a half years. His pre-meet ritual is a specific McDonald's order eaten three hours before his event.

For Tharp, the focus remains on minute technical details. "There's not that much more I can really fix," he says. "It's the tiny details that make the huge changes in my time whenever the real races come."

He maintains a quiet confidence, contrasting with rivals like Le'Ezra Brown, who broke Tharp's American Junior Record with a 12.72 World Junior Record. "Ja'Kobe doesn't talk trash. Le'Ezra talks trash," Harnden says. "And I think Ja'Kobe loves that, but he's a 'I will show you, I don't have to tell you.'"

Tharp agrees. "We all get along outside the track, but come race day, there's no more friends," he said.