This document traces the evolution of men's 100m sprint times from the 1890s to the present. It notes that times decreased steadily from 10.8 seconds in the 1890s to under 10 seconds by the 1960s as track surfaces improved from cinder to tartan to mondo tracks. The three greatest sprinters are identified as Jesse Owens, who broke barriers in the 1930s; Carl Lewis, who dominated in the 1980s; and Usain Bolt, who set new world records starting in the late 2000s.

1. 100m Men's
Pursuit of Speed

2. Pre-IAAF
(1891 - 1912)

3. 1890s:
10.8 secs

4. Cinder Tracks
1890 - 1964
10/09/1899

5. Isaac Westergren
10/09/1899

6. 1900s:
10.6 secs

7. Knut Lindberg
26/08/1906

8. 1910s:
10.5 secs

9. Richard Rau
12/05/1912

10. IAAF
Established to improve track surfaces
(1912 - 1976)

11. 1910s:
10.6 secs

12. Donald Lippincott
06/07/1912

13. 1920s:
10.4 secs

15. Eddie Tolan
25/08/1929

16. 1930s:
10.2 secs

17. Jesse Owens
20/07/1936

18. 1940s:
10.2 secs

19. Running Blocks
1948 -
London Olympics
10/09/1899

20. Barney Ewell
09/07/1948

21. 1950s:
10.1 secs

22. Rubber/Asphalt
Training Only
10/09/1899

23. Ray Norton
18/04/1959

24. 1960s:
9.9 secs

25. Tartan Track
1968 - 1972
Mexico Olympics
10/09/1899

26. Ronnie Ray Smith
20/06/1968

27. 1970s:
9.9 secs

28. Rekortan Track
1972 - 1975
Munich Olympics
10/09/1899

29. Chevron 440 Layer
1975 - 1996
10/09/1899

30. Don Quarrie
22/05/1976

31. ET
(1976 - )

32. 1980s:
9.9 secs

33. Spandex Clothing
1988 -
Seoul Olympics
10/09/1899

34. Ben Johnson
30/08/1987

35. Carl Lewis
17/08/1988

36. 1990s:
9.7 secs

37. Mondo Track
1996 -
Munich Olympics
10/09/1899

38. Maurice Greene
16/06/1999

39. 2000s:
9.5 secs

40. Conica Track
2009 -
Berlin, IAAF Championships
10/09/1899

41. Starting Speakers
2008 -
BeijingOlympics
10/09/1899

42. Usain Bolt
16/08/2009

43. 3 Greats
Of All Time

44. Jesse Owens
● One of first black
professional champions -
symbol of equality
● Broke record at Berlin '36
olympics - contradicted
Hitler's Aryan Theory
● Held the record for more
than 20 years

45. Carl Lewis
● Broke 100m record 4 times
● Set records in 100m,
4x100m relay & 4x200m
relay
● Also Long Jump champion
● Won 10 Olympic Medals (9
gold) and 10 World
Championship Medals (8
gold)

46. Usain Bolt
● Broke 100m record 3 times
in 2 years
● Broken 6 world records
● Set records in 100m, 200m
& 4x100m relay
● A real character
● Stars in awesome Virgin ad:
http://www.youtube.
com/watch?
v=wwNbPoZ9A94&feature=
player_detailpage