Tharp backs up world record form with 12.85 in Budapest

Ja’Kobe Tharp confirmed his status as the new force in sprint hurdling with a stunning 12.85 (-0.4m/s) victory in the men’s 110m hurdles at the István Gyulai Memorial – the last World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting of 2026 – in Budapest on Tuesday (14).

The US hurdler, who set a surprise world record of 12.75 in the semifinals of the NCAA Championships last month, produced the fifth-fastest performance in history in the Hungarian capital and did so with a display that suggested there could be more to come.

Tharp won by 0.16, easing slightly to celebrate before the line and making some of the world’s best hurdlers almost look ordinary. Jamal Britt, a regular sub-13 performer this season, was a distant second in 13.01, while world champion Cordell Tinch finished third in a season’s best of 13.06.

The win also allowed Tharp to avenge his defeat to Britt at the Eugene Diamond League, where Britt won in 12.86 from Tharp’s 12.91. Budapest marked Tharp’s fourth consecutive race inside 13 seconds, a streak that began with his world record in the NCAA semifinals and continued with his NCAA final victory in 12.90.

Katzberg and Thomas among meeting record-breakers

Tharp’s victory in the sprint hurdles was one of seven meeting records set at Budapest’s Nemzeti Atlétikai Központ, venue for the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in two months’ time.

Ethan Katzberg produced another major mark in the men’s hammer, winning with a world-leading meeting record of 83.64m.

The world and Olympic champion opened with 82.47m, a mark that would have been good enough to win, then improved to a world-leading 83.55m in the third round and 83.64m in round five. Germany’s Merlin Hummel finished second with 81.74m and Bence Halasz third with 81.65m, replicating the podium from the 2025 World Championships.

Katzberg also avenged his defeat from last year’s meeting, when Halasz won, and broke the Hungarian’s meeting record of 83.18m for good measure.

Gabby Thomas overcame a relatively poor start to win the women’s 200m in a meeting record of 21.83.

Kayla White was the early leader and slingshotted herself well into the home straight, but Olympic champion Thomas used her trademark finish to reel in her US compatriot. White was rewarded with a PB of 21.92 in second, her first sub-22 clocking.

The men’s 400m hurdles produced one of the closest races of the evening. Matheus Lima came off the final bend and began to open up a slight lead, but was caught by the chasing trio in the lanes outside him.

Emil Agyekum timed his finish best, winning in a meeting record of 47.58, moving to within 0.10 of Harald Schmid’s long-standing German record from 1982. Trevor Bassitt was second in 47.59, just ahead of US compatriot Caleb Dean, who ran 47.62, while Lima was fourth in 47.74. The top six finishers all went inside the previous meeting record of 48.35.

Eleanor Patterson equalled her season’s best to win a high-quality women’s high jump with 2.00m. The 2022 world champion beat fellow Australian Nicola Olyslagers, the world champion, who cleared 1.98m. The pair had been matched at every height up to and including 2.00m, which Patterson cleared on her first attempt.

On a great evening for Australian vertical jumpers, Olympic champion Nina Kennedy won the women's pole vault on countback from Eliza McCartney, both clearing a meeting record of 4.80m before opting not to continue vaulting.

There was another meeting record in the men’s 1500m, where Phanuel Koech edged fellow Kenyan teenager Danson Kiplangat on the line. Koech, the world U20 record-holder, was contesting his first international race of 2026 and won in 3:31.09, just 0.01 ahead of Kiplangat.

Olympic champions take victories

Mondo Duplantis returned to the meeting where he set a world record of 6.29m last year and was made to work for victory in a high-quality men’s pole vault.

Six men were still vaulting with the bar at 6.00m, three of them – Kurtis Marschall, Emmanouil Karalis and Sondre Guttormsen – having cleared 5.90m. Duplantis failed his first attempt at 6.00m, before Marschall became the first to clear it, doing so for the first time outdoors after twice achieving the height indoors. It was also the 300th six-metre vault in history.

Duplantis responded by clearing 6.00m on his second attempt to move into the lead, then consolidated his advantage with a first-time clearance at 6.07m. Marschall attempted that height but was unsuccessful, and with victory secured Duplantis raised the bar to 6.32m. It wasn’t to be this time, but the Swedish world record-holder now has 136 clearances at 6.00m or higher.

Olympic champion Masai Russell won the women’s 100m hurdles in 12.33 (-0.4m/s), leading a US sweep from Rayniah Jones, who ran 12.47, and Alaysha Johnson, who clocked 12.49.

Julien Alfred powered to victory in the women’s 100m, clocking 10.87 (-0.3m/s). The Olympic champion beat Jamaica’s Tina Clayton, who ran 10.97, in their first clash since the 2025 World Championships, where Clayton took silver ahead of Alfred. Multiple Olympic gold medallist Elaine Thompson-Herah finished fourth in 11.04.

Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou improved throughout the men’s long jump and landed a winning 8.31m leap in the final round to beat Anvar Anvarov, who jumped 8.12m.

Jones, Samukonga and Hssine among other winners

World silver medallist Jasmine Jones produced an assured run to win the women’s 400m hurdles in 52.91, taking a second off her season’s best and becoming the third woman this year to break 53 seconds. Rushell Clayton finished second in 53.34.

Zambia’s Muzala Samukonga won the men’s 400m in a season’s best of 44.02, his fastest run since August 2024, the month in which he earned Olympic bronze. Attila Molnar was second in 44.51, just shy of the 44.47 Hungarian record he set in Monaco last week.

Yassine Hssine came through in the closing stages to win the men’s 200m in 19.92, his fifth Moroccan record over the distance in 2026. The time was also an Arab record. Zimbabwe’s Makanakaishe Charamba was second in 20.09, while Gary Card finished fifth in 20.28, making him the second-fastest Jamaican U20 athlete in history behind Usain Bolt.

Italy’s two-time world medallist Leonardo Fabbri was the only man to throw beyond 22 metres in the shot put, winning with 22.04m.

Algeria’s world silver medallist Djamel Sedjati emerged from the pack in the final 40 metres to win the men’s 800m in 1:43.19 in his first race over the distance this year. Laban Chepkwony, who set the meeting record last year, was second this time in 1:43.54.

Elsewhere, Abbey Caldwell led an Australian one-two in the women’s 1500m, winning in 4:01.79 from Claudia Hollingsworth, who ran 4:02.09. Mathew Kipchumba Kipsang won the men’s 3000m in 7:31.90, while Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme came through to take the men’s 100m in 9.99 from Abdul-Rasheed Saminu, who clocked 10.01.

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