Ja'Kobe Tharp breaks 110m hurdles world record with 12.75 at NCAA championships, first collegiate world mark in 50 years
American hurdler Ja'Kobe Tharp, 20, ran 12.75 seconds in the NCAA semifinals in Eugene, Oregon, erasing the 2012 mark of Aries Merritt and becoming the first athlete to set a track and field world record at the US collegiate championships since 1976.
The race and the time
On Wednesday evening at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, Ja'Kobe Tharp lined up in the second heat of the NCAA 110m hurdles semifinals. With a legal tailwind of +1.0 m/s, he produced a flawless run that stopped the clock at 12.75 seconds, five hundredths faster than the previous world record held by Aries Merritt (12.80, set at the 2012 Memorial Van Damme). Tharp had never broken 13 seconds before; his personal best stood at 13.01 from 2025. He moved from 32nd on the all-time list to first in a single race.
I knew I had it in my legs but this was clearly not on my bingo card for this competition. I felt fast, but seeing that time, I am speechless.
- Ja'Kobe Tharp (2026)
- 12.75 seconds
- Aries Merritt (2012)
- 12.8 seconds
- Grant Holloway (2021)
- 12.81 seconds
A 50-year drought ended
According to the NCAA and ESPN, the last track and field world record set during the US collegiate championships came in 1976, when Dwight Stones cleared 2.31m in the high jump in Philadelphia. Tharp’s mark therefore ends a half-century gap. It also comes a little over a year after the 2024 indoor 400m world record by Canadian Christopher Morales-Williams at the SEC championships, a time that was never ratified because of a starting-block issue.
I really wanted to make a statement today. I focused on execution: survive and move forward. But today I really wanted to send the message that I’m here and they have to watch me coming.
Tharp’s rapid ascent
The Auburn University student, who won the world U20 title in Lima, Peru, in August 2024, finished sixth at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo. This winter he signalled his potential by clocking 7.32 seconds over 60m hurdles indoors, the third-fastest performance in history and just five hundredths off the world record. Before the NCAA race, his outdoor best remained the 13.01 from last season. The new time places him ahead of Olympic and three-time world champion Grant Holloway, who came closest to Merritt’s record with 12.81 in 2021.
- Wins world U20 title in Lima, Peru
- Finishes 6th at World Championships in Tokyo (first senior global championship)
- Runs 7.32 in the 60m hurdles indoors, third-fastest ever
- Clocks 12.75 in NCAA semifinals to break the 110m hurdles world record
Ratification and the final ahead
Like all world records, Tharp’s mark must be ratified by World Athletics. The federation will examine the wind reading, timing system and starting blocks. The 2024 indoor 400m case serves as a reminder that even a superb time can be struck from the books if equipment protocols are not satisfied. Tharp is scheduled to race the NCAA final on Friday evening in Eugene. Having produced the record in the semifinals, he will start as the overwhelming favourite.
What the numbers say
Tharp’s 12.75 slices 0.05 seconds off the previous record. The last five men’s sprint world records (100m, 200m, 400m) have stood for at least a decade, making the improvement in the hurdles all the more striking. The performance, achieved in an early round rather than a final, suggests the 20-year-old may have more to give when he lines up again.
