Athletics-United States' Tharp breaks 110m hurdles world record

June 11, 2026 5:22 AM EDT

Sep 15, 2025; Tokyo, Japan; Ja'Kobe Tharp (USA) during a heat of the mens 110m hurdles during World Athletics Championships at National Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

June 11 (Reuters) - American ‌Ja'Kobe Tharp ​broke ​the 110 metres hurdles world record with a blistering time of 12.75 ‌seconds at the NCAA outdoor track and ⁠field championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, on ‌Wednesday.

Tharp's effort in the ‌heats of the 110m hurdles improved upon the previous world record mark of 12.80s, set ​by Olympic champion Aries Merritt in 2012.

"I knew I had that in my legs. ⁠But it wasn't on my bingo card before this meet, not ​at all," the 20-year-old told reporters after the race.

"I was going pretty fast. ​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...

"I really wanted to make ​a statement today, I really honed in on execution, surviving and advancing. But today I really wanted to ‌send that message that I'm here and they gotta come see me."

Tharp, ‌an under-20s world champion, competed in the 110m ⁠hurdles final at ‌the 2025 World ​Championships in Tokyo, finishing sixth.

(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Andrew ‌Cawthorne)



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