Auburn University junior Ja’Kobe Tharp made history on Wednesday night by breaking the men’s 110-meter hurdles world record with a blistering time of 12.75 seconds.

Running in the semifinal heats on Day 1 of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field, the 20-year-old defending champion eclipsed the previous world record of 12.80 seconds set by American Aries Merritt in 2012.

Tharp’s incredible run, aided by a legal one-meter-per-second tailwind, also shattered Olympic champion Grant Holloway’s collegiate record of 12.98 seconds.

He becomes the first athlete in 50 years to break an individual world record at the NCAA championships since high jumper Dwight Stones.

Shaving a massive 0.26 seconds off his previous personal best, a stunned Tharp admitted after the race, “I’m speechless, seriously,” but confidently warned his competitors, “I have more in my legs,” ahead of Friday night’s final.

Elsewhere on Day 1, New Mexico’s Habtom Samuel captured the 10,000-meter title in 27:51.31, while field event titles went to Angelos Mantzouranis (hammer throw), Dyson Wicker (pole vault), Zaza Nnamdi (javelin), Tah Chikomba (long jump), and freshman Ben Smith, who became Oregon’s first outdoor shot put champion since 1982.

The men’s events will conclude on Friday.