EUGENE, United States, June 10 (Xinhua) -- American hurdler Ja'Kobe Tharp shattered the men's 110 meters hurdles world record on Wednesday, clocking 12.75 seconds at the 2026 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships to break a mark that had stood for nearly 14 years.
The 20-year-old Auburn University athlete produced the stunning performance in the second semifinal heat at Hayward Field in Eugene. Tharp surged clear after the opening hurdles and never looked threatened as he crossed the line first in his heat.
His time eclipsed the previous world record of 12.80 seconds set by American Aries Merritt at the Brussels Diamond League meeting in 2012.
The result marked a dramatic breakthrough for Tharp, whose previous personal best was 13.01 seconds, set in August 2025. The 2024 World under-20 champion and sixth-place finisher at last year's World Championships in Tokyo, admitted he was stunned by the performance.
"I knew I had that in my legs," Tharp said after the race. "But it wasn't on my bingo card before this meet, not at all."
The American said he felt he was moving exceptionally well throughout the race, although the final stages were not perfect.
"I thought maybe I could run 12.97 or 12.98," he said. "When I saw the time, I just went, 'Ah!' I'm speechless, seriously."
Asked afterward whether he sensed he was on pace for something historic, Tharp said he knew he was running well but did not realize a world record was within reach.
"It felt fast, but all my races feel fast, to be honest." ■
