AUBURN, Ala. - Auburn rising junior Ja’Kobe Tharp claimed gold in the 110m hurdles at the 2025 Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships Sunday in Eugene, Oregon. Tharp will represent the United States in Tokyo at the World Championships Sept. 13-21.
The four-day meet was held at Hayward Field and concluded Sunday with the men’s 110m hurdles, where Tharp delivered a breakout performance, clocking a personal best time of 13.01 to beat his previous best of 13.05. His time is the fourth fastest in the world this year.
“This is unexplainable,” Tharp said. “I finished my NCAA season with a win and now this is a bonus, an extra. My coach, and my sports staff have prepared me for this moment. It feels great. I just wanted to focus in. My coach always says lock in on what I’m doing and the rest of it will handle itself, so I trusted him.”
The reigning NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Champion ran 13.58 in the first round of the 110m hurdles, finishing fourth in his heat to automatically qualified for the next round. In the semi-finals, Tharp ran 13.30 and secured the last spot for finals.
Racing in lane one, Tharp shaved .04 off his previous personal best that he ran two months prior at NCAA Outdoors in Eugene, Oregon. Tharp beat out Cordell Tinch, who took silver (13.03) and Dylan Beard, who claimed bronze in 13.04. Both athletes competed in the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials.
Last season Tharp claimed the World U20 Championships title in Lima, Peru in the 110m hurdles.
Tharp put together an amazing sophomore season, winning the SEC Indoor Championships in the 60m hurdles, taking the NCAA Indoor 60m hurdles title, and winning the NCAA Outdoor Championships in June. The Murfreesboro, Tennessee native has also been selected as one of three finalists for The Bowerman, which is an award given to the top collegiate male and female athlete of the year.
Rising junior Ana-Liese Torian also competed at the USATF Outdoor Championships. The Flossmoor, Illinois native raced in the women’s 100m hurdles. Torian capped the day with a 14th-place finish overall, crossing the line in 13.13.
For all results from the USATF Championships, visit here.