Auburn University sophomore Ja'Kobe Tharp set a new world record in the 110-meter hurdles on Wednesday at the NCAA collegiate athletics championships in Eugene, Oregon.
Tharp clocked 12.75 seconds during the semifinals at Hayward Field, surpassing the previous world record of 12.80 seconds set by American Aries Merritt in Brussels on September 7, 2012.
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The 20-year-old's performance was wind-legal, aided by a tailwind of one meter per second.
It also broke the NCAA collegiate record of 12.98 seconds set by Florida's Grant Holloway in 2019.
Tharp's previous personal best was 13.01 seconds, which he lowered by more than a quarter of a second in the heat.
"I knew I had that in my legs," Tharp told reporters. He acknowledged the milestone caught him by surprise during his postseason run.
"But it wasn't on my bingo card before this meet, not at all," he said.
Reflecting on his mechanics, Tharp noted his execution felt exceptionally rapid. "The last three hurdles were kind of iffy," he said.
He recalled monitoring his momentum as he neared the final stage. "I was like, 'Whoa, I'm coming up kind of fast'," Tharp said.
The collegiate runner originally expected a time that would match the existing collegiate benchmark. "I thought maybe 12.97 or 12.98 and match the (NCAA) speed record.
But to see that ... I'm speechless, seriously," he said.
Focus on Final
Tharp's performance set a new milestone ahead of the championship final scheduled for Friday. "I'm trying to focus on what's here in front of me," he said.
