For most of the world, COVID-19 caused a serious shutdown. In track and field, it led to a phenomenon now known as ‘trackflation’. In fact, ever since the return of normalcy to sports in 2021, records in the NCAA have been dropping like flies. And nothing proves that better than 2026, when 35 records fell in one season. It’s not an outlier either. This is the fourth straight year in which over 30 records have fallen.

According to FloTrack, athletes shattered 43 records in 2023, 32 in 2024, 34 in 2025, and 35 in 2026, making it another historic year. In a historic feat, an NCAA outdoor Championship final saw a world record broken for the first time in decades when Ja’Kobe Tharp sprinted across the line in 12.75 seconds in the 110m hurdles a week ago.

He became the first athlete ever to break Aries Merritt’s 12.80 in the hurdles and, more importantly, defined the record-breaking season. He wasn’t the only one; Adaejah Hodge is the fastest woman in the world in the 100m in 2026, not just in the NCAA, but in the world, despite being a collegiate athlete competing against times set by Olympic and world champions. That’s not a joke.

Hodge’s 100m time is also No.5 all-time while her 200m time is No.8. That’s on top of both of them being new collegiate records. Then there’s her Georgia Bulldogs teammate Dejanea Oakley, who currently holds the NCAA record in the 400m. Like Hodge, Oakley’s 48.79-second run is also the fastest in the world right now for 2026.

In fact, the top three times in the world all belong to NCAA athletes, with Madison Whyte and Ella Onojuwevwo right behind the Georgia star. Much like Hodge, Oakley’s time also made the cut for the all-time list, moving into 13th place. Reid and Ogazi mirrored Oakley’s feat, both setting collegiate records in the men’s 200m and 400m, respectively.

And, much like the Georgia ladies, Reid ranked 12th while Ogazi ranked 4th on the all-time list. The ‘trackflation’ trend persists because mostly running records saw new records. That includes NCAA collegiate records in the 1000m, mile, 3000m, 5000m, 2-mile, 800m, 1500m, and more across men’s and women’s disciplines.

There were a few shot put and weight-throw records broken, with Axelina Johansson taking the collegiate record in the shot put. It’s a magical moment in track and field, though many are concerned about the future. That’s because, for many fans and critics, ‘trackflation’ results from over-training.

That isn’t the only train of thought, as the prevailing wisdom is that it’s because of everything being better, from training to coaching, nutrition, and even shoes.

For some athletes, those record-breaking performances are simply a reflection of how far the sport has progressed. Cross-country runner Zaven Torossian explains how ‘trackflation’ has reshaped the sport.

Sprinter Zaven Torossian reflects on athletes breaking records

Arguably, the best example of ‘trackflation’ is Camryn Dailey. Not even in high school yet, 8th-grader Dailey is breaking records at will and is already considered a prodigy. Who can blame them, especially after she recently broke the U14 record for the 200m? In fact, the prodigy has been setting age records since she turned 11.

Cooper Lutkenhaus exemplifies the trend, winning Diamond League races against Olympic champions in the 800m. That’s after winning the previous five meets, including a World Indoors Championship gold medal. Gout Gout and even Quincy Wilson are other examples, but for Zaven Torossian, it only shows him how far athletes have come.

“For decades, being able to run faster than 10.5 seconds was considered the epitome of sprinting. But in the past decade or so, improvements have been seen, and more frequently, there are many high schoolers who are capable of running such times, some even as young as 14,” sprinter Zaven Torossian said, as per AyalaBulldogtimes.org.

What the cross-country athlete was talking about is that a little over 100 years ago, the men’s 100-meter record was 10.4 seconds. Now, it sits at 9.58 thanks to Usain Bolt’s magical race in 2009. Since then, the likes of Kishane Thompson, Fred Kerley, and others have come close, but nobody has broken Bolt’s record.

Now, with the outpouring of teenage stars in the NCAA, some believe it’s only a matter of time before that happens. At one point, many believed breaking 10 seconds was impossible. Now, it’s almost the norm.

He added, “Performances of today cannot be compared to those back then because of the sheer difference between them. In 1960, the gold medalist for the 100 meter ran roughly 10.2. In the last five-plus Olympics, however, the gold time is always significantly below 10 seconds, even with placement as low as top six breaking 10 seconds.”

Whether that trend is sustainable remains one of the biggest questions facing the sport. But with collegiate athletes already sitting atop world leaderboards and teenagers rewriting age-group records, 2026 has only added more fuel to the debate.