Auburn’s Ja’Kobe Tharp made history at the NCAA Championships, clocking 12.75 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles to set a new world record. The run broke Aries Merritt’s mark of 12.80 seconds, which had stood since 2012.
The performance also erased Grant Holloway’s collegiate record of 12.98 seconds, set back in 2019.
His record-breaking run also carries a larger historical significance. It marked the first men’s world record set at the NCAA Championships since Dwight Stone established a long jump world record in 1976 — nearly five decades ago.
Tharp said he went into the race focused and ready to compete at full effort. The result, however, still caught him off guard.
“I swear I didn’t mean to,” Tharp said with a laugh. “I knew what I was capable of. I didn’t know about that, but I did know that I still had faster than 13 (seconds) in my legs.”
Despite the surprise, the run was not entirely out of nowhere. Tharp had already shown he belonged among the best hurdlers in the world heading into the meet. On this day, he simply ran faster than anyone ever had.
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