USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Auburn University’s Ja’Kobe Tharp made history in Oregon at the 2026 NCAA Championships. Ja’Kobe Tharp set a new world record in the 110-Meter hurdles while running what might be the most picture perfect race you will ever see.
Prior to this week, the last time a Track & Field world record was set at the NCAA Championships was back in 1976. It had been a LONG TIME. That is due to a variety of factors. Not the least of which is the training cycles track athletes go through with the Summer Olympic Games typically being the goal, but primarily due to lots of growth and maturation of the athletes after college.
Auburn University’s Ja’Kobe Tharp Sets 110-Meter Hurdles World Record
During the semifinals of the 110M hurdles on Wednesday night, Ja’Kobe Tharp blew the field away. He was already an incredibly accomplished athlete on the track but this was truly the cherry on top.
Coming into the race, he was the one to beat. Ja’Kobe Tharp was the 2025 and 2026 NCAA Indoor 60-Meter Hurdles champion, he was the 2025 NCAA 110-Meter hurdles champion after winning this same event last year, and he won the 2025 USA Outdoor 110M hurdles. So everyone was looking to him as the man to beat then he went out there and snatched the souls out of his competition with a new world record.
Check it out:
Prior to Ja’Kobe Tharp setting the new 110M Hurdles world record at the University of Oregon where the 2026 NCAA Track and Field Championships are being held, the previous record was held by American sprinter Aries Merritt who ran 12.80 back in September of 2012. Flash forward nearly 14 years and Tharp blew past that record with a time of 12.75 seconds.
To date, the fastest 110M hurdles time of any NCAA athlete was held by Florida Gators hurdler Grant Holloway who in 2019 set the NCAA time of 12.98, both an NCAA Championship record and a collegiate record. Ja’Kobe Tharp saw those times and said ‘bet,’ breaking the NCAA Championship record, Collegiate record, and setting a brand new world record. You LOVE to see it.
Go toss him a follow on Instagram at @jthurdles to keep up with his insane speed! We could all learn a lot from this man about improving our race times.