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In contrast to the highly scientific study on How Fast Usain Bolt could run the 100 meters, Paul DeVita (Ph.D) from East Carolina University’s College of Health and Human Performance created his own extrapolations on when will the 100 meter dash could be 0 seconds, or instantaneous.
According to this hypothetical extrapolation, the 100 meter world record could be 0 seconds by the year 2203. By comparison, the current time for a Quarter Mile drag racing car is around 4.45 seconds!
I predicted in the year 2525.
Why?
Because I love classic guitar rock. Mason Williams “Classical Gas” and Zager & Evans “In the Year 2525” come to mind.
And for all you kids out there who were born after 1969, here is that classic video.
Jimson Lee
Coach & Founder at SpeedEndurance.com
I am a Masters Athlete and Coach currently based in London UK. My other projects include the Bud Winter Foundation, writer for the IAAF New Studies in Athletics Journal (NSA) and a member of the Track & Field Writers of America.
Latest posts by Jimson Lee (see all)
Hi Jimson,
Thanks for the video flashback. Since it is the beginning of football season, could you possibly compile a list of your 10 fastest players since the 60’s and make a post of it? Two memories come to mind:
1. Homer Jones, wide receiver for the New York Giants, ran a race against Bob Hayes in the late sixties, I believe. How many remember Tarkington to Jones and Staubach to Hayes? Talk about throwing bombs with frequency back then.
2. I lived in central Texas for a year (’75-’76) when Johnny “Lam” Jones played for Lampasas High and went on to Austin at UT and then to the N.Y. Jets. In high school, he set records for yards and TD’s as a running back. Better yet, he anchored some incredible h.s. relay teams where he broke 9 flat several times racing the then 4 x 100 yards relay event. I believe he made the ’76 Olympic team.
I’d really like to see your list with some thoughts on each runner. Hopefully they would have been able to catch the ball, also. (Ronaldo Nehemiah always got labeled as suspect)
Thanks
@Fred – sounds like an idea for a cool article. Thanks!
Question for you : Is it possible to set a world record on the first leg of a 4×100 meter relay in track and field? I know it is possible in swimming but in track and field not sure. Seems to me I recall a commentator at the Olympics saying that a world record could be set on the first leg of the 4x 100 meter relay. At the time that seemed a bit odd to me. I think it was 20 or 25 years ago. The commentator may have been Al Michaels and the first leg may have been Mike Marsh. Again I am not sure. Everyone I have talked to say this is probably not possible because they run different distances in the relay.
Yet, I see articles where people are comparing how fast Bob Hayes ran on the final leg of a 4 x 100 relay. So it seems the first leg would be even easier to get an exact time. To me it seems feasible. Maybe not likely because of the curve running but it seems feasible if the camera is set up at the 100 meter mark. The runners all start from the block, so the only variable would be that they all run through 100 meters and a camera is there to get the time.
Any info on this will be appreciated.
Thanks
Ferman
Hello Ferman,
This is from the International Association of Athletics Federations Competition Rules 2009
http://www.iaaf.org/mm/Document/AboutIAAF/Publications/04/87/90/20081229021635_httppostedfile_CompetitionRules2009-Eng_7874.pdf
Rule 260 (Page 234)
24. For World Records in Relay Events:
(a) They may be made only by a team, all of whose members are
Citizens of a single Member Country. Citizenship may be
obtained in any of the ways referred to in Rule 5.
(b) A colony which is not a separate Member of the IAAF shall be
deemed, for the purpose of this Rule, to be part of its Mother
Country.
(c) The time set by the first athlete in a relay team may not be
submitted as a Record.
24. (c) is your answer.
Fred thanks for the feedback. Follow up question: The response was dated 2009, has it always been this way? Seems that I heard a commentator say this 20 years ago or so. So was it ever possible 20 years ago or so to set a world record on the first leg of a relay?
@ferman – it would be too hard to set up FAT timing systems for each lane. For a 4×400, maybe if it was a 2 turn stagger.