US college student breaks 14-year-old men's 110m hurdles world record in first round heat
Ja’Kobe Tharp smashed the record which ahd been held by Olympic champion Aries Merritt
A junior college student in the US has sensationally broken a 14-year-old world record for the 110m hurdles.
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Ja’Kobe Tharp clocked 12.75 seconds during the round one head on the first day of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) outdoor track and field championships, beating the previous time of 12.80 set by Olympic champion Aries Merritt in 2012.
But despite his feat, Tharp told ESPN afterwards that the final three hurdles "were kind of trash" and admitted to having more in his legs.
The 20-year-old, who was defending champion at the event, also became the first man to break a world record at NCAAs since Dwight Stones in the high jump in 1976.
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He told reporters afterwards: "The last three hurdles were kind of iffy. I was like, 'Whoa, I'm coming up kind of fast.' I thought maybe 12.97 or 12.98, and match the speed record.
"But to see that, it was like, 'Ahhhh I'm speechless, seriously. It felt fast, but all my races feel fast, to be honest.
"It wasn't on my bingo chart for this meet, not at all. I'm speechless, seriously."
He added: "I really wanted to make a statement, I really honed in on execution, surviving and advancing. But I really wanted to send that message that I'm here and they gotta come see me."
Tharp will return to the field Friday in a bid to defend his NCAA title and become the first men's sprint hurdler since Holloway in 2019 to win back-to-back collegiate crowns.
Elsewhere, Habtom Samuel from New Mexico secured victory in the day's sole track event final, winning the 10,000 meters with a time of 27 minutes, 51.31 seconds.