| Jeneba Tarmoh | |
| Full Name: | Jeneba Sylvia Tarmoh |
| Birth Place: | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Headercolor: | lightsteelblue |
| Show-Medals: | yes |
Jeneba Sylvia Tarmoh (born September 27, 1989) is an American track and field sprinter who specializes in the 100 metres and 200 metres. She is of Sierra Leonean descent.[1]
Tarmoh lives in San Jose, California, where she attended Mt. Pleasant High School. Her parents, both nurses, immigrated to San Jose from Sierra Leone shortly before she was born.[2] While at Mt. Pleasant, she won both the 100 meters and 200 meters at the CIF California State Meet both her 2006 junior[3] and 2007 senior[4] years. She was also part of the 2007 CIF State Championship team from Mt.Pleasant High School.
Tarmoh was an All-American for Texas A&M University, helping them with back to back to back wins in the NCAA Track & Field Outdoor Championships 2009–2011 seasons. She gave up her final year of eligibility to compete in the NCAA after she went professional, signing with Nike. She came in third at the 2011 USA National Outdoor Championships in the 200m behind Shalonda Solomon and Carmelita Jeter, earning her a place on the 2011 IAAF World Championships team.
On June 23, 2012, Tarmoh finished in a dead heat with Allyson Felix for third place in the 100m finals at the US Track and Field Olympic Trials. Tarmoh had initially been declared the third-place finisher immediately after the race but was dropped into a tie with Felix after officials reviewed images of the photo finish. The top three places qualified for the 2012 USA Olympic team for the 2012 Summer Olympics; however, USATF had no tiebreaker procedures in place at the time in the event of a tie for the final spot. After discussion, USATF officials decided that a runoff between the two sprinters would take place in the event that neither ceded her spot to the other. Tarmoh initially agreed to the runoff but later pulled out, ceding the spot to Felix.[5] The event generated substantial criticism toward USATF officials for having insufficient procedures in place for breaking ties, as well as for forcing the runners to decide whether to participate in the eventual runoff.
Tarmoh traveled to London as a reserve on the US team. She ran the second leg of the women's 4 × 100 metres relay in the qualifying round. Although she did not compete in the finals, she received a gold medal as the USA set a world record in winning the finals.[6]
Tarmoh has also appeared in an episode of California On,[7] where she was interviewed by comedian Kassem G.[8]
| Event | Time | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 m | 10.93 (1.8 m/s) | Des Moines, Iowa | June 21, 2013 |
| 200 m | 22.23 (-0.3 m/s) | Monaco | 17 July 2015 |