Tharp's hurdles record* earns him USATF Athlete of the Week honors

INDIANAPOLIS — Bettering a u20 men's hurdles American record that had stood for more than 40 years, Ja'Kobe Tharp (Rockvale, TN/USATF Tennessee) earned recognition as the 18th USATF Athlete of the Week award winner for 2024.

Winning the Southeastern Conference 110H gold at Gainesville, Florida, the Auburn freshman clocked 13.18 to better the 110H (42-inch) American U20 record of 13.23 that was set by legendary Renaldo Nehemiah at Zurich, Switzerland, in 1978. The world U20 record of 13.12 was set by China's Xiang Liu in 2002.

Tharp rocketed to 13.24 in the heats, chopping .22 off his PB, and then dominated the final, winning by .22 seconds. The Tennessee high school state champion for Rockvale in 2023, Tharp had a prep best of 13.32 over the 39-inch barriers. His 13.18 is the fastest in the NCAA ranks this season and among the top five fastest times in the world thus far.

Other top performances from last week:

• Diego Estrada won the men's USATF 25K Championships in Grand Rapids, bettering the ratified American Record with a 1:13:10 clocking.
• Betsy Saina was the women's USATF 25K champion in Grand Rapids, bettering the women-only American Record with a 1:22:32 effort.
• Vance Nilsson of Gilbert (Arizona) High School set a national HS record in the boys' 300 hurdles with a 34.83 to win the Arizona state title. The previous national record was 35.02 by Reggie Wyatt in 2009.
• Kenny Bednarek won the Doha Diamond League men's 200 in a world-leading 19.67, making him the No. 9 all-time U.S. performer.
• Mississippi's McKenzie Long won the SEC women's 200 in 22.03, the fastest time in the world this year. That time ranks her No. 5 on the all-time collegiate performer list.
• JaMeesia Ford of South Carolina tied the American U20 record in the women's 200 with a 22.11 to finish second at the SEC Championships.

*All records subject to verification by the USATF Records Committee

Now in its 23rd year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week when there are high-level competitions and features the athlete on USATF.org. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.

2024 Winners: January 17, Weini Kelati; January 24, Cooper Teare; January 31, Nico Young; February 7, Fiona O'Keeffe; February 14, Elle St. Pierre; February 21, Grant Holloway; February 28, Jalani Davis; March 6, Elle St. Pierre; March 13, Rachel Glenn; March 20, Grant Fisher; March 27, Myrle Mensey; April 3, Jordan Davis; April 10, Hillary Bor; April 17, Jacious Sears; April 24, Christian Miller; May 1, Payton Otterdahl; May 8, Gabby Thomas; May 15, Ja'Kobe Tharp.

We welcome your nominations!

To nominate an athlete for USATF Athlete of the Week, please send a detailed email about their performance to communications@usatf.org.

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Photo Credit: David Gray, Auburn Athletics