IN A STEALTH MOVE befitting a tiger — an Auburn Tiger, that is — Ja’Kobe Tharp roared out of lane 1 to capture his first national title in the 110H at age 19.
While all eyes focused on the middle of the track for the battle among Dylan Beard, Jamal Britt, Cordell Tinch and Trey Cunningham, the newly minted NCAA champ won once again at Hayward Field.
“This is crazy!” Tharp exclaimed immediately after the race. “I show up. All I need is a lane.”
He added, “What time did I run?”
He had clocked a PR of 13.01, chopping 0.04 off his previous best from the NCAA to defeat Tinch (13.03), Beard (13.04) and ’22 Worlds silver medalist Cunningham (13.10). Britt went down at the seventh hurdle.
The victory was one of the biggest upsets of the meet, as Tinch came in with the world lead of 12.87 from his DL victory in Shanghai while ’22 world silver medalist Cunningham and Beard went 1–2 in the Paris DL.
Olympic gold medalist Grant Holloway ran two rounds and opted out of the final thanks to his Wild Card as 3-time reigning world champion.
Yet he didn’t escape unscathed. Holloway got out fast in the semi, but Tinch walked him down over the last five hurdles to beat him 13.11–13.18.
Tharp had been the last qualifier for the final after finishing 3rd in his semi in 13.30 — this time out of lane 8. Beard won the race in 13.11.
Switching to the other side of the straightaway for the decisive round, Tharp was pleased to finally execute a complete race from start to lean in what he considered “a bonus meet” for the ’25 season. Now he has a berth in the biggest meet of the year.
“My prelim, my first half was OK, the end was trash,” said Tharp, who went 13.58 in the heats. “The semi, my first half was trash and the end was better. So now I just put it together, and the results showed.”
Tinch, who was 4th in the ’24 Olympic Trials, was content to make the U.S. team and get a chance to avenge his semifinal elimination in Budapest in ’23.
“I’d rather be a world champ than a national champ,” Tinch said.
He and Tharp chest-bumped after the race and the older hurdler said he sees similarities between himself and the Auburn soph. Tinch predicted they would both go to Tokyo after Tharp hung close to him and race winner Cunningham at the Monaco DL.
“I’ve been kind of messing with him all week,” Tinch said. “But I’ve seen the way he’s hurdled. He’s been my favorite hurdler within the NCAA and I told him, ‘I see you making this team.’”
The eent had three rounds, but — due to scratches by Olympic silver medalist Daniel Roberts and Robert Dunning — every competitor in the heats advanced to the semis. That included Eric Edwards at 15.24.
MEN’S 110 HURDLES RESULTS
FINAL (August 03; wind +0.7)
1. Ja’Kobe Tharp (Aub) 13.01 PR;
2. Cordell Tinch (Nik) 13.03;
3. Dylan Beard (D4) 13.04;
4. Trey Cunningham (adi) 13.10;
5. Ja’Qualon Scott (unat) 13.25;
6. Devion Wilson (unat) 13.27;
7. Kendrick Smallwood (Tx) 13.28;
8. Jamar Marshall (Hous) 13.53;
… dnf—Jamal Britt (Tracksm);
… withdrew—Holloway.
HEATS (August 02)
I(0.1)–1. Tinch 13.34; 2. Connor Schulman (unat) 13.46; 3. Marshall 13.51; 4. Tharp 13.58; 5. Christian Martin (unat) 13.65; 6. Devontae Ford (TxT) 13.67; 7. Demaris Waters (Fl) 13.80.
II(0.8)–1. Beard 13.13; 2. Freddie Crittenden (adi) 13.46; 3. Joshua Parrish (Wich) 13.92; 4. Parker Wormek (CMo) 14.16; 5. Zachary Extine (Az) 14.33; 6. Eric Edwards (unat) 15.24.
III(-0.4)–1. Grant Holloway (adi) 13.15; 2. Britt 13.25; 3. Scott 13.34; 4. Wilson 13.41; 5. Darius Brown (DeP) 13.54; 6. Edward Williams (CPark) 13.68; 7. Max Hairston (unat) 13.77.
IV(1.3)–1. Cunningham 13.10; 2. Smallwood 13.35; 3. Bradley Franklin (Samf) 13.43 PR; 4. Cameron Murray (D4) 13.66; 5. Giovanni Wearing (Wi) 13.81; 6. Blaise Atkinson (NC) 13.99; 7. Parker Duskin (unat) 14.06.
SEMIS (August 03)
I(-0.1)–1. Tinch 13.11; 2. Holloway 13.18; 3. Scott 13.27; 4. Franklin 13.56; 5. Williams 13.62; 6. Ford 13.71; 7. Murray 13.73; 8. Duskin 14.14; 9. Wormek 14.15.
II(-0.1)–1. Beard 13.11; 2. Britt 13.12; 3. Tharp 13.30; 4. Marshall 13.34; 5. Crittenden 13.40; 6. Extine 13.46; 7. Brown 13.58; 8. Waters 14.23.
III(1.9)–1. Cunningham 13.16; 2. Wilson 13.24; 3. Smallwood 13.25; 4. Edwards 13.36; 5. Schulman 13.36; 6. Wearing 13.69; 7. Hairston 13.79; 8. Parrish 13.81; 9. Martin 13.95.
