100 metres

This article is about the 100 metres race. For lengths on the order of magnitude of 100 metres, see Orders of magnitude (length) § 1 hectometre.

Athletics
100 metres
Start of the men's 100 metres final at the
2012 Olympic Games in London
World records
Men Usain Bolt (JAM) 9.58 (2009)
Women Florence Griffith-Joyner (USA) 10.49 (1988)
Olympic records
Men Usain Bolt (JAM) 9.63 (2012)
Women Elaine Thompson-Herah (JAM) 10.61 (2021)
World Championship records
Men Usain Bolt (JAM) 9.58 (2009)
Women Sha'Carri Richardson (USA) 10.65 (2023)
World junior (U20) records
Men Letsile Tebogo (BOT) 9.91 (2022)
Women Sha'Carri Richardson (USA) 10.75 (2019)
Start (green) and end (red) points of a 100 metre race, marked on a running track
Start (green) and end (red) points of a 100 metre race, marked on a running track

The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the 100-meter (109.36 yd) dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1928 for women. The inaugural World Championships were in 1983.

On an outdoor 400-metre running track, the 100 m is held on the home straight, with the start usually being set on an extension to make it a straight-line race. There are three instructions given to the runners immediately before and at the beginning of the race: "on your marks", "set", and the firing of the starter's pistol. The runners move to the starting blocks when they hear the 'on your marks' instruction. The following instruction, to adopt the 'set' position, allows them to adopt a more efficient starting posture and isometrically preload their muscles: this will help them to start faster. A race-official then fires the starter's pistol to signal the race beginning and the sprinters stride forwards from the blocks. Sprinters typically reach top speed after somewhere between 50 and 60 m. Their speed then slows towards the finish line.

Women's 100 m Final – 2015 World Championships, won by Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce

The 10-second barrier has historically been a barometer of fast men's performances, while the best female sprinters take eleven seconds or less to complete the race. The men's world record is 9.58 seconds, set by Jamaica's Usain Bolt in 2009, while the women's world record is 10.49 seconds, set by American Florence Griffith-Joyner in 1988.[a]

The unofficial "world's fastest man" title typically goes to the Olympic 100 metre champion.[3] The 200 metre time almost always yields a "faster" average speed than a 100-metre race time, since the initial slow speed at the start is spread out over the longer distance.[4] The current men's Olympic and world champion is Noah Lyles, while the current women's Olympic champion is Julien Alfred, and the world champion is Sha'Carri Richardson.

  1. ^ a b c Linthorne, Nicholas P. (June 1995). "The 100-m World Record by Florence Griffith-Joyner at the 1988 U.S. Olympic Trials" (PDF). Brunel University. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
  2. ^ "Women's outdoor 100m". All-time top lists. IAAF. 17 September 2011. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
  3. ^ Giddens, David (10 August 2017). "Meet me in the middle: The weird Donovan Bailey vs. Michael Johnson 150m race". CBC Sports.
  4. ^ "Who is the fastest man in the world?". Sportsscientists.com. 26 June 2008. Archived from the original on 23 May 2012. Retrieved 11 April 2012.


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