The 100 meter sprint is arguably the most popular and prestigious athletics event of all time.
World Record holders of it are referred to as “the world’s fastest man” simply because the
100 meters are the most common short running distance and therefore embody the main
measurement for speed. At the 2024 Olympics in Paris, the 100m sprint men finals tickets
were sold for 980 Euros while other medal events only cost 85 Euros, which definitely proves
the 100 meters as one of the most demanded events in the Olympics. The reason for this is
also the extreme suspension it creates in the stadium: In less than 10 seconds the winner is
decided and only fractions of a second define victory and loss. As a consequence, everything
from start to finish must be perfect. This article explores both the complexity and the
simplicity of the most iconic discipline in Athletics.
100 Meter Sprint
The 100 meter sprint is arguably the most popular and prestigious athletics event of all time. World Record holders of it are referred to as “the world’s fastest man” simply because the 100 meters are the most common short running distance and therefore embody the main measurement for speed. At the 2024 Olympics in Paris, the 100m sprint men finals tickets were sold for 980 Euros while other medal events only cost 85 Euros, which definitely proves the 100 meters as one of the most demanded events in the Olympics. The reason for this is also the extreme suspension it creates in the stadium: In less than 10 seconds the winner is decided and only fractions of a second define victory and loss. As a consequence, everything from start to finish must be perfect. This article explores both the complexity and the simplicity of the most iconic discipline in Athletics.
How it works
The 100 meters can be divided into multiple phases.
At the beginning of the race, every sprinter is called to t he starting blocks by officials where they put themselves in a set position in an assigned lane. This involves them having both feet on the starting block and their body weight concentrated on the hands in front of the starting line. First, the call “On
your marks” is made, which ensures that the athletes get into their start position and put their eyes forward while centering their bodies. After the announcement “set” the athletes
tense their leg muscles and raise their hips in order to generate power for the start of the sprint. As the starting pistol is fired, the athletes push themselves off the blocks and accelerate by leaning forward. After accelerating up to 50 meters, they reach their maximum speed, while lifting up their upper bodies. Then they try to keep the speed as long as possible whereas in the last 10 meters their speed gets slower until they reach the finish line.
The winner is the athlete whose torso crosses the finish line first which results in the participants leaning forward. Disqualifications can happen if the athlete starts too early, shows a reaction time of less than 0.1 seconds or crosses the line between his lane and the one from his competitors.
The History
The 100m race was introduced to the Olympic Games in 1896 for the first modern Olympiad in Athens. It can be seen as the modern equivalent of “stadion” which was an ancient sprint race in Greece
and one of the five major sports of the ancient Pentathlon. The winner of the first modern Olympic Games at this discipline was Thomas Burke with approximately 12 seconds. Until 1920, each runner could choose his own style and start for the run. Then a similar style and the use of starting blocks had been introduced. In 1968, automatic timing was implemented in the sport which resulted in even faster runs and more exact times.
Through improved techniques and technical progress it is now possible to run the 100 meters below 10 seconds which has been seen as a barrier to conquer for a long time.
The Current Best
Usain Bolt, a name you maybe
already have heard of, still is the fastest human alive as he
ran the 100 meters in 9.58 seconds at the 2009 World Athletics Championships final in Berlin
on August 16, 2009. For 15 years, the Jamaican has been and still is the uncontested world
record ho
lder in this discipline. For the women it’s Florence Griffith
Joyner from the USA
who ran the 100m in 10.49 seconds
on July 16, 1988 in Indianapolis, USA. Right now, Noah
Lyles is dominating the competition. At the 2024 Olympics he won the gold medal by
running it in 9.79 seconds, which still shows the unbelievable talent of Usain Bolt
The History
The 100m race was introduced to the Olympic Games in 1896 for the first mod
ern Olympiad
in Athens. It can be seen as the modern equivalent of “stadion” which was an ancient sprint
race in Greece
and one of the five major sports of the ancient Pentathlon. The winner of the
first modern Olympic Games at this discipline was Thomas B
urke with approximately 12
seconds. Until 1920, each runner could choose his own style and start for the run. Then a
similar style and the use of starting blocks had been introduced. In 1968, automatic timing
was implemented in the sport which resulted in
even faster runs and more exact times.
Through improved techniques and technical progress it is now possible to run the 100
meters below 10 seconds which has been seen as a barrier to conquer for a long time.
The Current Best
Usain Bolt, a name you maybe
already have heard of, still is the fastest human alive as he
ran the 100 meters in 9.58 seconds at the 2009 World Athletics Championships final in Berlin
on August 16, 2009. For 15 years, the Jamaican has been and still is the uncontested world
record ho
lder in this discipline. For the women it’s Florence Griffith
Joyner from the USA
who ran the 100m in 10.49 seconds
on July 16, 1988 in Indianapolis, USA. Right now, Noah
Lyles is dominating the competition. At the 2024 Olympics he won the gold medal by
running it in 9.79 seconds, which still shows the unbelievable talent of Usain Bolt.
Training Tips
If you want to run a better 100m or just get faster in general you can train in many different
ways. The first method would be interval training where you
do different sprint distances
(100m;200m;400M;) at a very high intensity and then take a break for 2 minutes and repeat
it for a few times This helps you to gain endurance and to build up lots of speed.
The Second one would be Hill sprints as they lead to the body leaning forward which is required in the start of the sprint and it also builds strength.
Finally, improving your form is key for a faster 100 meter sprint.
As it is hard to explain in a vivid way just by writing you can learn it by a trainer at your Athletics institution or look up videos in the internet
Finally, improving your form
is key for a faster 100 meter sprint.
As it is hard to explain in a
vivid way just by writing you can learn it
by a trainer at y
our Athletics institution or look up
videos in the internet.
Historical & Predictive Analysis for the 100m Sprint Race
https://statathlon.com/historical-predictive-analysis-for-the-100m-sprint-race/-
Statathlon
Usain Bolt’s 100m world record is the longesthttps://runningmagazine.ca/the-scene/usain-bolts-100m-world-record-is-the-longest-standing-in-history/
standing in history
Canadian Running
Magazine
100M Sprint Technique (sportsrec.com)
2024 Paris Olympics tickets: How much they cost, what’s available, and how to re
sell
The
Athletic (nytimes.com)
100m World Records (topendsports.com)
Spot Runs Start
Free photo
on Pixabay
100
Meter Sprint: Understanding the Rules and Guidelines | livestrong
