Ja'Kobe Tharp shattered the 110‑metre hurdles world record in the NCAA heats on Wednesday in Eugene, Oregon. The 20‑year‑old Auburn sprinter touched the tape in 12.75 seconds, eclipsing Aries Merritt’s 12.80 mark that had stood since 2012. His run also broke Grant Holloway’s collegiate best of 12.98, the fastest ever at a U.S. college meet, and energising the sprint‑hurdle circuit for future generations of athletes.

Before Eugene Tharp’s personal best sat at 13.01 seconds, a time that already placed him among the elite. He entered the championships hoping merely to improve that mark, yet he trimmed a quarter‑second off and set a new global standard. The feat marks the first world record at the NCAA championships in half a century, underscoring the meet’s rising competitive depth.

Tharp will line up in Friday’s final, where a victory would make him the first hurdler since Holloway in 2019 to repeat as NCAA champion. A win would cement his status as a leading contender for the upcoming World Championships and Olympic trials, while his record run already shifts the benchmark for collegiate hurdlers worldwide.