In the semifinals of a championship
Student breaks track and field world record
Updated June 11, 2026 – 12:53 p.mReading time: 1 min.
The American College Championships are a big event in the USA. But what happened there also aroused international interest.
Ja’Kobe Tharp set a world record in the 110 meter hurdles at the American College Championships (NCAA). The 20-year-old US sprinter ran the track in Eugene in the semifinals in 12.75 seconds. In doing so, he beat Aries Merritt’s previous record from 2012 by five hundredths of a second. The final is still pending.
Tharp improved his personal best by 26 hundredths of a second. After the race he said: “I still have more in my legs.” And further: “It wasn’t a perfect race. This lap was about getting through, surviving and moving forward.”
Tharp is the first athlete to set a world record at the NCAA Championships since Dwight Stones in the high jump 50 years ago. The hurdles final will take place on Friday (local time).