Where Did That Come From? Stunning and Unexpected World Record in the 110m Hurdles

No one saw this world record in athletics coming. Jacoby Tharp, a 20-year-old American sprinter who finished sixth at the most recent World Championships, stunned the night session, early Thursday morning local time, by running 12.75 seconds in the 110m hurdles at the NCAA championships, breaking Aries Merritt's previous world record from 2012 by five hundredths of a second. Tharp is considered a very talented sprinter, but until tonight his personal best stood at 13.01 seconds. He was crowned world under-20 champion two years ago, and last year he reached the final of the senior World Championships. A hint of the enormous progress he made this year could be seen in the indoor season, when he ran 7.32 seconds in the 60m hurdles, the third-fastest time in history and the second-fastest ever by an American sprinter.

"I knew I had it in my legs," Tharp said after the record run. "I felt fast, but to be honest all my races are fast. I thought the time would be maybe 12.97 or 12.98. When I saw the actual result I was just 'ahhhhh.' I'm speechless. I wanted to make a statement today, that I'm here and that you need to come see me."