English
US sprint hurdler Ja’Kobe Tharp will make his second ever Diamond League appearance in Eugene next month, just weeks after he sensationally broke the world record at the NCAA Championships.
Tharp, 21, ran 12.75 at Hayward Field on Wednesday, breaking the previous world record of 12.80 set by Aries Merritt at the Diamond League Final in Brussels in 2012.
He returns to Hayward Field as the man of the moment on July 4, taking on a world-class field that includes world champion Cordell Tinch and Jamal Britt.
Tharp is one of six world record holders set to compete in Eugene.
Fellow sprint hurdler Tobi Amusan of Nigeria lines up against Olympic champion Masai Russell and Diamond League champion Ackera Nugent in the women’s 100m hurdles.
Mykolas Alekna headlines a star-studded men’s discus field, going up against world champion Daniel Ståhl and Olympic champion Roje Stona.
Faith Kipyegon stars in the women’s mile and Ryan Crouser is hoping to return to winning form in the men’s shot put.
Poland’s Anita Włodarczyk will also enter the ring in a non-Diamond League women’s hammer competition.
Eugene is the ninth leg of the 2026 Wanda Diamond League, which began in Shanghai/Keqiao on May 16 and ends at the two-day series final in Brussels on September 4-5.
The series unites the biggest names in track and field in some of the world’s most iconic arenas, crossing four continents and 15 cities over the course of the season.
