Ja’Kobe Tharp did what many athletes dream of, but still chose to walk away at the peak of his college rise. The 20-year-old American hurdler had already made his mark on the NCAA track, winning the 2025 NCAA Outdoor 110m hurdles title. And more recently, he broke the world record that had stood since 2012. It looked like there was still more to come, with a full year of NCAA eligibility still left, but he chose not to continue in college track for a genuine reason.

On July 1, Tharp shared on Instagram that he would be forgoing his senior year at Auburn University and moving forward with Adidas into the professional ranks.  In his own words, he looked back at the grind behind the success: “It wasn’t luck. It was the early mornings, late nights, every injury, every loss, every setback—I embraced it all. Those moments didn’t break me. They built me. Forever grateful. The pain didn’t stop me. It turned me into a monster”

He also added: “Now it’s time for the next chapter. I’m beyond grateful to announce that I’m officially taking the next step and pursuing my professional track & field career with adidas.”

For Auburn fans, it was the conclusion of his stellar college career. After all, Tharp was among the best athletes recruited from Rockvale High School in Tennessee in the fall of 2023. Expectations were high for him, but a few people could have guessed how fast he would climb.

It wasn’t long after that the wins began to roll in. He went on to win the 2024 SEC outdoor 110m hurdles championship before winning the 2025 SEC indoor 60m hurdles title. Later, he went on to become the 2025 NCAA Outdoor 110m hurdles champion and then the 2025 USATF national champion.

His last year at college was even better. Tharp became the 2026 NCAA Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year and the 2026 NCAA Outdoor 110m hurdles champion, finishing the race in a record 12.90 seconds.

The turning point came at the 2026 NCAA Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field, when Tharp exploded out of the blocks in the 110m hurdles semifinal and stopped the clock at 12.75 seconds. This time immediately erased Aries Merritt’s world record of 12.80, which had stood untouched since 2012.

In an instant, Tharp’s name moved to the very top of the all-time list. Behind him sat Olympic champion Aries Merritt, while fellow American Grant Holloway, who had recently run 12.81, occupied the next spot among the fastest men in history.

With Los Angeles 2028 now just two years away, the timing of his decision feels far less surprising. After all, there was little left for him to prove at the collegiate level. His focus can now shift toward competing against the very athletes whose records he has already surpassed and representing America internationally. Yet behind the titles and records was a journey that included setbacks when the results did not always reflect the work being put in.

Before breaking the World record, Tharp had to clear a different set of hurdles

Tharp’s track and field journey actually began because of a disappointment in another sport. Growing up, basketball was his first love, and track was not part of the plan. But as a seventh grader, he was cut from his school’s basketball team. Rather than walking away from sports altogether, he decided to give track a chance. Looking back, Tharp recalled, “I’ve got to do something, so I just started to run track.”

Even then, hurdles were not his choice. His middle school coach encouraged him to try the event, but Tharp was hesitant because he was afraid of crashing into the barriers. Ironically, the event he initially wanted to avoid became the one that changed his life. Just one year after taking up hurdles, he won the Tennessee middle school hurdles state championship.

He carried that momentum into Rockvale High School, where he developed into one of the nation’s most sought-after recruits and eventually earned a place at Auburn University. But the road was not without obstacles.

The challenges continued when he arrived in college. College hurdles stand 42 inches high, compared to 39 inches in high school, forcing athletes to adjust their technique. Tharp later admitted, “It was hard to get used to at first.” Even after becoming one of the top young hurdlers in the country, setbacks still came.

At the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships, he finished second in the men’s 110m hurdles in 13.20 seconds, falling short of the national title. The following year, he took another major step when he won the 2025 US title and earned a place on Team USA for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. Competing against the best hurdlers in the world, he reached the final and finished sixth in his first senior World Championships appearance.

Looking back on the journey, he wrote on Instagram: “Thank you to everyone who believed in me, even when the results didn’t show what was coming. And to anyone chasing a dream: don’t run from adversity. Let it shape you. One day you’ll realize the hardest seasons were preparing you for the life you prayed for. This is only the beginning.”

Those disappointments, adjustments, and near misses were less like setbacks and more like stepping stones.