EUGENE, OREGON, July 04 (V7N): Newly crowned 110-meter hurdles world record holder Ja'Kobe Tharp announced that "the sky's the limit" as he prepares to make his professional debut at Saturday's Eugene Diamond League meeting.
The 20-year-old American sprinter shocked the athletics world last month at the NCAA Collegiate Championships when he clocked a blistering 12.75 seconds during the heats. The time shaved a quarter-second off his personal best and erased the previous world record of 12.80 seconds set by Aries Merritt in 2012. Speaking ahead of the Prefontaine Classic at Hayward Field, Tharp expressed confidence that he could run even faster, noting that his start and execution over the final three hurdles still leave room for improvement.
The marquee event marks Tharp's first major elite test since turning professional earlier this week. He is set to face a formidable field that includes reigning world champion Cordell Tinch, world silver medalist Orlando Bennett, and the in-form Jamal Britt.
The track meet could also witness a historic performance in the women's 100-meter hurdles. Olympic gold medalist Masai Russell enters the competition in peak form, having clocked 12.14 seconds in May—just two-hundredths of a second shy of Tobi Amusan’s 2022 world record. Russell will square off directly against Amusan and former world record holder Keni Harrison in a highly anticipated showdown.
end/wsp/rh/
