The Fastest Humans in History: A Century of the 100-Metre Record

On the night of 16 August 2009 in Berlin, a 22-year-old Jamaican ran 100 metres in 9.58 seconds — taking an unheard-of 0.11 seconds off his own world record. More than a decade and a half later, nobody has run within a tenth of a second of it. The 100-metre record is the simplest measurement in sport: one man, one straight line, one clock. Here is the story of how that clock wound down.

The milestones

• Jesse Owens ran 10.2 on a cinder track in 1936 — a hand-timed record that stood for two decades — in the same era as his four gold medals at the Berlin Olympics, delivered in front of Hitler.
• Jim Hines became the first man officially under 10 seconds, running 9.95 with electronic timing at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. The "10-second barrier" had fallen; his record lasted 15 years, the longest reign of the electronic era.
• Carl Lewis ran 9.86 in 1991 at the peak of a career that included nine Olympic golds and a still-astonishing four consecutive long-jump titles.
• Asafa Powell lowered the mark to 9.77 and then 9.74 between 2005 and 2008 — and has run more sub-10-second races than any sprinter in history.
• Then came Usain Bolt: 9.72 in May 2008, 9.69 at the Beijing Olympics that August — celebrating before the line, shoelace untied — and the untouchable 9.58 in Berlin a year later, with a top speed measured around 44.7 km/h.

The women's record

The women's mark is its own remarkable story: Florence Griffith-Joyner ran 10.49 in July 1988. That record has now outlived her by decades and stood longer than any modern sprint record, men's or women's — no woman has ever run within a tenth of it. It anchors our list of the most unbreakable records in sport.

Why 9.58 still stands

Sprinting rewards a freakish combination: the stride length of a tall man with the turnover of a small one. Bolt, at 1.95 metres, covered the Berlin race in just 41 strides against the 44–45 of his rivals. Sports scientists estimated after Berlin that his frame could theoretically reach the low 9.4s; instead, injuries and retirement intervened, and the next generation has plateaued around 9.76–9.80.

"I know what I can do, so I never doubt myself."

— Usain Bolt

Sixteen years is already the longest the men's record has ever gone without falling in the fully electronic era. Every previous mark fell within a decade; Bolt's has outlasted his own career, his rivals' careers, and — so far — an entire generation of sprinters born after his first world record.

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Watch: Usain Bolt - FASTEST MAN ALIVE - Documentary

The next barrier

The four-minute mile fell; the two-hour marathon fell (in an exhibition). The 9.5-second 100 metres is athletics' next mythical line, and it currently looks the most secure of them all. Until it falls, the fastest that any human being has ever been reliably measured to travel on foot remains a warm Berlin evening in August 2009 — and the name on the clock remains Usain St. Leo Bolt, whose eight Olympic gold medals also place him among the most decorated Olympians of all time.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the 100m world record?

9.58 seconds, set by Usain Bolt in Berlin on 16 August 2009 — the largest single improvement of the electronic era.

Who first broke the 10-second barrier?

Jim Hines, who ran 9.95 with electronic timing at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.

What is the women's 100m world record?

10.49 seconds, set by Florence Griffith-Joyner in 1988 — a mark no woman has since come within a tenth of a second of.