Ja'Kobe Tharp, a 20-year-old hurdler from Auburn University, broke the 110m hurdles world record during the heats of the NCAA outdoor championships on June 10 in Eugene, Oregon [1, 2, 3].
Tharp clocked 12.75 seconds to surpass the previous mark of 12.80 seconds, which was set by Aries Merritt in Brussels in September 2012 [1, 2, 3]. The run was aided by a legal tailwind of 1.0 meter per second [2, 3].
In addition to the world record, Tharp's time shattered the NCAA collegiate record of 12.98 seconds set by Grant Holloway in 2019 [1, 2, 3]. This marks the first world record established at the NCAA championships in 50 years, since Dwight Stones' high jump record in 1976 [1, 3].
Before the race, Tharp held a personal best of 13.01 seconds [1, 2, 3]. He said, "I knew I had that in my legs. But it wasn’t on my bingo card before this meet, not at all." He added that the last three hurdles were challenging and initially expected a time around 12.97 or 12.98, but was stunned by the new world record: "I’m speechless, seriously ... I really wanted to make a statement today" [1, 2, 3].
Tharp's performance pushed Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang, who ran 12.88 seconds in 2006, down to the seventh-fastest time ever recorded [2].
Last year, Tharp placed sixth in the 110m hurdles final at the World Championships in Tokyo, showing steady progress on the international stage [3].
Tharp is scheduled to compete in the NCAA 110m hurdles final on June 12, aiming to defend his title and claim a second straight NCAA championship [1].
