AUBURN, Ala. – Perhaps the most amazing aspect of Ja’Kobe Tharp’s world record performance is that it was entirely unintentional.
“I didn’t mean to,” Tharp said Wednesday in the mixed zone at Hayward Field, still catching his breath. “I’m speechless.”
The defending NCAA 110m hurdles champion, Tharp broke fellow American Aries Merritt’s 14-year-old world record of 12.80 Wednesday, rocketing the distance in 12.75 seconds in the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
Tharp meant to run fast. He just didn’t intend to run that fast.
“Just like (NCAA) Indoors, in the first round I wanted to go out there and send a message to everybody else that I’m here and I’m here to stay,” the Auburn junior said.
Message received.
While Tharp reminded all challengers that he’s the NCAA’s king of the sprint hurdles, once he’s in the starting blocks, other competitors are the last thing on his mind.
“I’m always only focused on me,” the Murfreesboro, Tennessee, native said. “I knew what I was capable of. I knew I had something faster than 13.0 in my legs.”
Laser focused on process, Tharp lets the result take care of itself. There’s still work to do, with a chance to defend his 110m NCAA outdoor hurdles title on tap Friday.
“It wasn’t on my bingo chart for this meet,” Tharp said of his record-setting semifinal. “I’m focused on what’s here in front of me. I’ve still got to finish it in two days. I never think about time, I only think about execution.”
Conserving energy for Friday’s final was not part of Tharp’s gameplan.
“We go 98 percent in practice so that little two percent is nothing in a race,” said Tharp, the first since high jumper Dwight Stones in 1976 to break a world record at the NCAA Championships. “I was focused on my execution, and if the time comes, it comes, but I knew I had that in my legs.”
In his trackside interview with ESPN, Tharp said he’s capable of going even faster.
“That was not a picture-perfect race,” said Tharp, not thrilled with his execution over the final three of 10 hurdles. “This round was all about getting through, surviving and advancing. This is a huge bonus, but it doesn’t matter unless I win, so we’ll keep going. I have more in my legs.”