After the current record stood in place for 28 years, the world record for one of track and field’s most formidable events, the 100-meter hurdle, was smashed by 23-year-old American Kendra Harrison.
On Friday, the runner finished the hurdle course at the Diamond Meet in London at just 12.20 seconds, beating the record of 12.21 seconds, set by Bulgarian runner Yordanka Donkova in 1988. Harrison’s achievement is truly a staggering victory—but unfortunately, she won't take her incredible ability to the Olympics this year. After finishing sixth in Olympic trials, she did not make the hyper-competitive U.S. track team, which only accepts the top three competitors (even though she finished this race a full quarter-second ahead of three women who will compete in Rio).
When Harrison first finished the race on Friday, she didn’t realize that she had broken a world record—as Deadspin noted, a clock error made her time appear to be 0.3 seconds slower than it actually was. Once it was all sorted out, her reaction was priceless.
"After not making the Olympic team I wanted to come out here and show what I could have done," she told BBC Sport after the race. "I came out here with a lot of vengeance. I knew I had it in me. I've still got a lot left in me—I'm definitely going to try and drop that time this season."
Olympics or not, Harrison has proved herself to be a world-class athlete and an inspiration for many. With a world record under her belt, she’s surely headed towards even more success.
