World records in track and field, generally speaking, are the preserve of the Olympic Games. The World Championships. The Diamond League.
On Wednesday, fans at the NCAA track and field championships in Eugene, Ore., were treated to a rare surprise. Auburn’s Ja’Kobe Tharp stunned the crowd at Hayward Field by hurdling 110 meters in 12.75 seconds in a preliminary race—a time that, pending ratification, will break the previous world record by a twentieth of a second.
