American takes five hundredths of a second off Aries Merritt's world record which was set in 2012.

Ja’Kobe Tharp produced one of the greatest performances in collegiate athletics history by breaking the world 110m hurdles record during the heats of the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon, on Wednesday (June 11).

The 20-year-old Auburn University athlete clocked a stunning 12.75 (1.4m), taking five hundredths of a second off the long-standing world record of 12.80 set by fellow American Aries Merritt in Brussels in 2012.

In doing so, Tharp also shattered the collegiate record of 12.98 established by Olympic champion Grant Holloway in 2019 and became the first athlete since Dwight Stones in the high jump 50 years to set a world record at the NCAA Championships.

The performance marked a remarkable breakthrough for the Alabama native, whose previous personal best stood at 13.01. While Tharp arrived in Eugene confident of improving that mark, even he could not have anticipated such a dramatic leap into the record books.

“I knew I was ready to drop something crazy,” he said. “I knew what I was capable of, but I didn't know about that.

“It wasn't on my bingo chart for this meet, not at all. I'm speechless, seriously.”

Tharp won the world under-20 title in 2024 and then won the NCAA indoor and outdoor titles one year later. He also won at the US Championships last year before going on to finish sixth in the World Championships final in Tokyo.

Tharp will return to Hayward Field on Friday aiming to successfully defend his NCAA title and become the first men's sprint hurdler since Holloway in 2019 to win back-to-back collegiate crowns.