Browse > Home / Olympic History, Track and Field, Videos / The 100 meters - World’s First 10 Seconds Flat Race

The 100 meters - World’s First 10 Seconds Flat Race

March 4, 2009 by Jimson Lee

Let’s face it. The average public only cares about 3 events in Track and Field.

The 100 meters, the Mile, and the Marathon. The biggest Mile milestone (no pun intended) will forever be known as the 4 minute mile.

In the Men’s 100 meters, that benchmark is 10 seconds flat. Period. Even today, unless the winner runs under 10 seconds, they feel disappointed.

Germany’s Armin Hary, the Gold medalist at the Rome Olympics, ran the first 100 meters in 10 seconds flat on June 21, 1960 in Zürich. He set a new World Record in the process that would become the standard in Track and Field.

Zurich was famous back then for fast times, personal bests, and World Records… and that was almost 50 years ago!

3 weeks later, Canada’s Harry Jerome also ran 10.0 (HT) in Saskatoon, Canada on July 15, 1960. Who says you can’t run fast times in Canada?

Bob Hayes also ran 10.0 Flat in Tokyo 1964.

The 10 second barrier wasn’t broken until Jim Hines ran a 9.9 WR in Sacramento, California, on June 20, 1968

Starting January 1, 1977, the IAAF required fully automatic timing to the hundredth of a second for events 400 meters or less.

I hate to rain on their parade, but 10.0 HT is really 10.24 FAT.

POP QUIZ: Who ran the first 20.0 second 200 meter race?

Here is the world’s first 10 Seconds Flat 100 meter Race on Youtube. Hary also ran a 21.06 200 meters later in the day.

Check the starter inside on Lane 1. When the smoke appears from the gun, Hary is already out of the blocks. His reflexes and acceleration are amazing even to this day.


Complete Speed Training

Post to Twitter

Tagged:

, , , , , ,

Share and Enjoy

Related Posts:

Free Speedendurance.com Newsletter:

Sign up for the free Speedendurance.com newsletter. It contains a quick summary of the best articles since the last newsletter, product reviews and discounts to various sports related vendors, and it may contain controversial topics that I cannot post publicly on this Blog. Your email address will be kept confidential and won't be shared. Easily unsubscribe at any time. Newsletters are sent about twice a month.

Subscribe to Monthly Newsletter Via Email
Name:
Email:

Written by Jimson Lee · Filed Under Olympic History, Track and Field, Videos 

Comments

One Response to “The 100 meters - World’s First 10 Seconds Flat Race”

  1. James Falero on May 20th, 2009 9:35 pm

    I’ve done 10 seconds flat. Back when I first started running around 16 y.o.
    I’m 18 and I’ve put on a little weight but given some practice and exercise I bet I could do 100 meters in 9.98 seconds.

Got something to say?





`

CRM Help Desk Software