Men's 110m hurdles has never lacked legends. From Liu Xiang breaking the world record, to Robles, Merritt and others continually redefining people's understanding of extreme technique andspeed, the event's all-time top-ten list is almost a history of its development,In 2026the men's 110m hurdles all-time top-ten standingswere once again upended by a 20-year-old American college student.
The young AmericanJacoby Sapp (Ja'Kobe Tharp), on June 11,at the NCAA OutdoorTrack and Field Championships' men's 110m hurdles semi-final he ran12.75 seconds, breaking Aries Merritt'sin2012world record (12.80), becoming the first human in 110m hurdles history to run inside 12.80, andagainreshuffled the men's 110m hurdlesall-time top-ten list.
In the latest all-time top-ten list,American athletes occupy seven of the spots, and the four who have run 12.85 seconds or faster are all American,the men's 110m hurdles has entered an even more brutal chapter of its history;what once could dominate an era —12.91 seconds — now sits outside the top ten.
But it's also worth noting thatafter many years, Liu Xiang and Dayron Robles(Dayron Robles) their marks still firmlyremain in the all-time top ten, underscoring how significant their performances were at the time.
As early as2004Liu Xiangwon the Athens Olympic title in 12.91, at just 21 years old equalling the world record at the time; at the 2006 Lausanne Grand Prix, Liu Xiang then ran12.88, breaking a then 13-year-old men's 110m hurdles world record.
In 2008, the Cuban standoutRoblesinOstravaclocked12 seconds87, breaking Liu Xiang's world record.That same year,Robles wonBeijingOlympic men's 110m hurdles champion.
The era of Liu Xiang and Robles is regarded as classic not only because both reset the world record, but because theybroke the long-standing dominance of European and American athletes and ignitedthe men's110m hurdles' enthusiasm around the world.。
2012 was a pivotal turning point for the men's 110m hurdles. At the London Olympics, U.S. athlete Merritt won with 12.92 seconds, becoming the first American since Allen Johnson (Allen Johnson) 199to claim Olympic men's 110m hurdles gold since Allen Johnson's 1996 victory.
More importantly, shortly after the London Olympics, Merritt at the Diamond LeagueBrussels legclocked12.80 seconds, breakingthe world record held by Robles (12.87 seconds).，It announced that U.S. men's 110m hurdling had returned to the top of the world.
Since then, U.S. men's 110m hurdles has produced a steady stream of talent: GrantHolloway (Grant Holloway) inclocked 12.81 seconds in 2021, and in 2024 again ran12.86 seconds, and also won the Paris Olympic gold in the event;Devon Allen ran 12.84 in 2022; CordellTinch (Cordell Tinch) ran in 2025a time of 12.87 seconds.
And Sapp dramatically lowered the world record to 12.75 seconds in 2026. The U.S. men's 110m hurdles,when it comes to depth, top-end athletes, or the development of the new generation,is indisputably the world's No. 1.
The real question has shifted from "who can get close to Merritt" to "where exactly is the limit of the men's 110m hurdles." Remember, Sapp is only 20 and is a junior in college — if he stays healthy, continues to refine his technique, and proves himself in major championships, the men's 110m hurdles record could very well be rewritten again.
