10-second barrier
Encyclopedia
The 10-second barrier is a term used in track and field athletics which refers to the physical and psychological barrier of completing the men's 100 metres
100 metres
The 100 metres, or 100-metre dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, it is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896...

 sprint
Sprint (race)
Sprints are short running events in athletics and track and field. Races over short distances are among the oldest running competitions. The first 13 editions of the Ancient Olympic Games featured only one event—the stadion race, which was a race from one end of the stadium to the other...

 in under ten seconds. The achievement was traditionally regarded as the hallmark of a great sprinter, but its significance has become less important since the late 1990s as an increasing number of runners have surpassed the ten seconds mark.

History

The first sub-10 second finishes were recorded through the use of manual timing by stopwatch
Stopwatch
A stopwatch is a handheld timepiece designed to measure the amount of time elapsed from a particular time when activated to when the piece is deactivated. A large digital version of a stopwatch designed for viewing at a distance, as in a sports stadium, is called a stopclock.The timing functions...

. However, the International Association of Athletics Federations
International Association of Athletics Federations
The International Association of Athletics Federations is the international governing body for the sport of athletics. It was founded in 1912 at its first congress in Stockholm, Sweden by representatives from 17 national athletics federations as the International Amateur Athletics Federation...

 now states that runs are only legal if achieved with the use of fully automatic timing, a wind speed
Wind assistance
Wind assistance is a term in track and field, which refers to the wind level during a race or event as registered by a wind gauge. Wind is one of many forms of weather which can affect sport....

 below 2.0 m/s, and without the use of performance enhancing substances. Wind gauge malfunctions or infractions may also cause sprinters' runs to be invalid.

Under these rules, the barrier was first officially broken by American athlete Jim Hines
Jim Hines
James "Jim" Ray Hines is a former American track and field athlete, who held the 100 m world record for 15 years. He was the first sprinter to officially break the 10-second barrier in the 100 meters.-Track career:...

 on 14 October 1968. He ran a time of 9.95 seconds to win the 100 metres at the 1968 Olympics
Athletics at the 1968 Summer Olympics
At the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, 36 athletics events were contested, 24 for men and 12 for women. There were a total number of 1031 participating athletes from 93 countries....

, setting a new world record. Almost nine years passed before the barrier was broken again; Silvio Leonard
Silvio Leonard
Silvio Leonard Sarría also known as Silvio Leonard Tartabull is a former sprinter from Cuba. He was the second athlete to run the 100 metres in less than 10 seconds with electronic timing, running in 9.98 seconds on August 11, 1977 in Guadalajara. The first was 1968 Olympic champion Jim Hines...

 ran 9.98 seconds on 11 August 1977. Both of these marks were recorded at a high altitude, which aids performance due to lower air resistance. Carl Lewis
Carl Lewis
Frederick Carlton "Carl" Lewis is an American former track and field athlete, who won 10 Olympic medals including 9 gold, and 10 World Championships medals, of which 8 were gold. His career spanned from 1979 when he first achieved a world ranking to 1996 when he last won an Olympic title and...

 was the first sprinter to achieve the feat at a low altitude, with 9.97 seconds on 14 May 1983 at the Modesto Relays
Modesto Relays
The Modesto Relays, now known as the California Invitational Relays is an annual elite track and field meet. It is held about the second weekend in May. For 67 years, the meet was held at Modesto Junior College in Modesto, California, a track notable for tight turns and long straightaways, ending...

. Calvin Smith
Calvin Smith
Calvin Smith is a former sprint track and field athlete from the United States. He is a former World Record holder in the 100 metre sprint, and was twice World Champion over 200 metres...

 recorded a world record 9.93 seconds on 3 July 1983, and also became the first sprinter to run under ten seconds twice, repeating the feat in August that year.

A number of athletes broke the barrier during the 1980s but the 100 m final at the 1991 World Championships
1991 World Championships in Athletics - Men's 100 metres
These are the official results of the Men's 100 metres event at the 1991 IAAF World Championships in Tokyo, Japan. There were a total number of 77 participating athletes, with ten qualifying heats and the final held on Sunday 25 August 1991. The world record, African record, and European record...

 represented a new zenith in the event: six athletes ran under ten seconds in the same race, and winner Carl Lewis lowered the world record to 9.86 seconds. Maurice Greene
Maurice Greene (athlete)
Maurice Greene is a retired American track and field sprinter who specialized in the 100 meters and 200 meters. He is a former 100 m world record holder with a time of 9.79 seconds. During the height of his career he won four Olympic medals and was a five-time World Champion...

 was the first athlete to run under 9.80 seconds in 1999 and Usain Bolt
Usain Bolt
The Honourable Usain St. Leo Bolt, OJ, C.D. , is a Jamaican sprinter and a five-time World and three-time Olympic gold medalist. He is the world record and Olympic record holder in the 100 metres, the 200 metres and the 4×100 metres relay...

 surpassed 9.70 seconds in 2008 and 9.60 in 2009. The 10-second barrier has been broken by athletes from all six continental athletic associations with the exception of South America
CONSUDATLE
CONSUDATLE is the continental confederation governing body of athletics for national governing bodies and multi-national federations within South America. CONSUDATLE is one of six area associations of the International Amateur Athletic Federation...

, where Brazilian Robson da Silva
Robson da Silva
Robson Caetano da Silva is the most successful Brazilian sprinter to date. He participated in four consecutive Olympic Summer Games and won the bronze medal over 200 metres in the 1988 Seoul Olympics as well as in the 4×100 m relay in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.Possibly Da Silva's greatest...

 holds the area record with ten seconds flat.

The 2008 season saw a new high for sub-10 second performances: 14 runners achieved the feat a total of 53 times between them, the highest ever for either figure. Furthermore, ten men had achieved the result for the first time in that year – another record. The men's 100 metres final at the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...

 saw a world record and six men clear ten seconds (equalling the number from the 1991 World Championships). Only two months into the start of the outdoor track season, 2011 became a record-breaking year as fifteen men ran under ten seconds between April and June. As of June 2011, 79 sprinters have broken the 10-second barrier with an official, legal time.

Race

Nearly all the sprinters who have beaten the 10-second barrier are of West African descent. Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...

n (formerly South-West Africa) Frankie Fredericks
Frankie Fredericks
Frank Fredericks is a former athlete from Namibia. Running in the 100 metres and 200 metres, he won four silver medals at the Olympic Games , making him Namibia's first and so far only Olympic medalist...

 became the first man of non-West African heritage to achieve the feat in 1991 and in 2003 Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

's Patrick Johnson
Patrick Johnson (sprinter)
Patrick Johnson is an Australian athlete. He is the current Oceanian and Australian record holder in the 100 metres with a time of 9.93 seconds, achieved in Mito, Japan, on 5 May 2003. The time has made him the 17th fastest man in history at the time and 38th man to crack the 10-second barrier...

 (who has Irish and Indigenous Australian heritage) became the first sub-10-second runner without an African background. Frenchman
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 Christophe Lemaitre
Christophe Lemaitre
Christophe Lemaitre is a French sprinter, who specialises in the 100 and 200 metres. He is the French 100 m and 200 m record holder with a time of 9.92 seconds and 19.80 seconds as well as being the first caucasian to break the 10-second barrier in an officially timed event.At...

 became the first white European under ten seconds in 2010 (although Poland's Marian Woronin
Marian Woronin
Marian Jerzy Woronin is a retired Polish athlete who competed mainly in the 100 metres. He is a four-time European Indoor Champion in the 60 metres...

 had unofficially surpassed the barrier with a time of 9.992 seconds in 1984). In 2011, Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...

an Ngonidzashe Makusha
Ngonidzashe Makusha
Ngonidzashe Makusha is a Zimbabwean sprinter and long jumper. He is the national record holder over 100m and Long Jump for Zimbabwe with 9.89s and 8.40m respectively. Both performances achieved during the 2011 NCAA Division I Championships in Des Moines, Iowa where he completed the 100m long...

 became the 76th man to break the barrier, yet only the fourth man not of West African descent. No sprinter of predominantly Asian or East African descent has officially achieved this feat.

Colin Jackson
Colin Jackson
Colin Ray Jackson CBE is a British former sprint and hurdling athlete who specialised in the 110 metres hurdles. Over his career representing Great Britain and Wales he won an Olympic silver medal, became world champion three times, went undefeated at the European Championships for 12 years and...

 (a mixed race athlete and former world record holder in the 110 metre hurdles
Men's 110 metre hurdles world record progression
The following table shows the world record progression in the Men's 110 metres hurdles.The first world record in the 110 metre hurdles for men was recognized by the International Amateur Athletics Federation, now known as the International Association of Athletics Federations, in 1912...

) noted that both his parents were talented athletes and suggested that biological inheritance was the greatest influence, rather than any perceived racial factor. Furthermore, successful black role models in track events may reinforce the racial disparity.

Electronically timed marks

Sprinters who have broken the 10-second barrier
# Date first broken Athlete Time
(Seconds)
Age Nationality Continent Best (year) Ref
1 9.95 (A) North America 9.95 (1968)
2 9.98 (A) North America 9.98 (1977)
3 9.97 North America 9.86 (1991)
4 9.93 (A) North America 9.93 (1983)
5 9.96 North America 9.96 (1984)
6 9.97 Europe
European Athletic Association
The European Athletic Association is the European governing body for the sport of athletics.- History :In 1932, during a meeting of the International Amateur Athletic Federation in Los Angeles, a special committee was designated by the Council with the task of reviewing the conditions for the...

9.87 (1993)
7 9.97 North America 9.96 (1991)
8 9.94 North America 9.85 (1994)
9 9.99 North America 9.91 (1991)
10 9.95 Africa
Confederation of African Athletics
The Confederation of African Athletics is the governing body for the sport of athletics in Africa. It is headquartered in Senegal. It organises the African Championships in Athletics and other continental competitions.-Members:...

9.86 (1996)
11 9.99 North America 9.92 (1993)
12 9.97 Africa
Confederation of African Athletics
The Confederation of African Athletics is the governing body for the sport of athletics in Africa. It is headquartered in Senegal. It organises the African Championships in Athletics and other continental competitions.-Members:...

9.95 (1994)
13 9.93 North America 9.93 (1992)
14 9.96 Africa
Confederation of African Athletics
The Confederation of African Athletics is the governing body for the sport of athletics in Africa. It is headquartered in Senegal. It organises the African Championships in Athletics and other continental competitions.-Members:...

9.94 (1994)
15 9.99 Africa
Confederation of African Athletics
The Confederation of African Athletics is the governing body for the sport of athletics in Africa. It is headquartered in Senegal. It organises the African Championships in Athletics and other continental competitions.-Members:...

9.98 (1993)
16 9.99 North America 9.92 (1997)
17 9.99 North America 9.84 (1996)
18 9.97 North America 9.84 (1999)
19 9.93 North America 9.86 (1998)
20 9.96 North America 9.79 (1999)
21 9.96 North America 9.96 (1997)
22 9.96 North America 9.92 (1997)
23 9.98 North America 9.98 (1997)
24 9.97 Africa
Confederation of African Athletics
The Confederation of African Athletics is the governing body for the sport of athletics in Africa. It is headquartered in Senegal. It organises the African Championships in Athletics and other continental competitions.-Members:...

9.92 (1998)
25 9.95 North America 9.95 (1998)
26 9.87 (A) North America 9.87 (1998)
27 9.98 Africa
Confederation of African Athletics
The Confederation of African Athletics is the governing body for the sport of athletics in Africa. It is headquartered in Senegal. It organises the African Championships in Athletics and other continental competitions.-Members:...

9.98 (1999)
28 9.99 Europe
European Athletic Association
The European Athletic Association is the European governing body for the sport of athletics.- History :In 1932, during a meeting of the International Amateur Athletic Federation in Los Angeles, a special committee was designated by the Council with the task of reviewing the conditions for the...

9.97 (1999)
29 9.98 Europe
European Athletic Association
The European Athletic Association is the European governing body for the sport of athletics.- History :In 1932, during a meeting of the International Amateur Athletic Federation in Los Angeles, a special committee was designated by the Council with the task of reviewing the conditions for the...

9.98 (1999)
30 9.92 North America 9.92 (1999)
31 9.98 North America 9.98 (2000)
32 9.99 North America 9.94 (2001)
33 9.97 Africa
Confederation of African Athletics
The Confederation of African Athletics is the governing body for the sport of athletics in Africa. It is headquartered in Senegal. It organises the African Championships in Athletics and other continental competitions.-Members:...

9.86 (2004)
34 9.99 North America 9.88 (2004)
35 9.95 North America 9.95 (2002)
36 9.99 North America 9.99 (2002)
37 9.98 North America 9.98 (2002)
38 9.93 Oceania 9.93 (2003)
39 9.98 Africa
Confederation of African Athletics
The Confederation of African Athletics is the governing body for the sport of athletics in Africa. It is headquartered in Senegal. It organises the African Championships in Athletics and other continental competitions.-Members:...

9.95 (2003)
40 9.97 North America 9.95 (2004)
41 9.97 North America 9.85 (2004)
42 9.99 North America 9.99 (2003)
43 9.97 Africa
Confederation of African Athletics
The Confederation of African Athletics is the governing body for the sport of athletics in Africa. It is headquartered in Senegal. It organises the African Championships in Athletics and other continental competitions.-Members:...

9.97 (2003)
44 9.99 North America 9.72 (2008)
45 9.99 Africa
Confederation of African Athletics
The Confederation of African Athletics is the governing body for the sport of athletics in Africa. It is headquartered in Senegal. It organises the African Championships in Athletics and other continental competitions.-Members:...

9.99 (2005)
46 9.96 North America 9.96 (2005)
47 9.99 North America 9.99 (2005)
48 9.99 Europe
European Athletic Association
The European Athletic Association is the European governing body for the sport of athletics.- History :In 1932, during a meeting of the International Amateur Athletic Federation in Los Angeles, a special committee was designated by the Council with the task of reviewing the conditions for the...

9.99 (2005)
49 9.94 North America 9.91 (2006)
50 9.93 Africa
Confederation of African Athletics
The Confederation of African Athletics is the governing body for the sport of athletics in Africa. It is headquartered in Senegal. It organises the African Championships in Athletics and other continental competitions.-Members:...

9.85 (2006)
51 9.97 North America 9.69 (2009)
52 9.99 North America 9.99 (2006)
53 9.98 North America 9.91 (2007)
54 9.93 North America 9.88 (2010)
55 9.99 Asia
Asian Athletics Association
The Asian Athletics Association is the continental governing body for the sport of athletics in Asia. It is headquartered in Singapore. It organises the Asian Championships in Athletics and other continental competitions....

9.99 (2007)
56 9.96 North America 9.96 (2007)
57 9.96 North America 9.89 (2008)
58 9.76 North America 9.58 (2009)
59 9.93 North America 9.85 (2011)
60 9.95 North America 9.95 (2008)
61 9.99 North America 9.99 (2008)
62 9.89 North America 9.89 (2008)
63 9.94 North America 9.94 (2008)
64 9.98 North America 9.78 (2010)
65 9.99 North America 9.93 (2008)
66 9.97 North America 9.88 (2011)
67 9.99 North America 9.91 (2009)
68 9.94 North America 9.85 (2011)
69 9.96 North America 9.82 (2011)
70 9.99 North America 9.99 (2009)
71 9.98 Europe
European Athletic Association
The European Athletic Association is the European governing body for the sport of athletics.- History :In 1932, during a meeting of the International Amateur Athletic Federation in Los Angeles, a special committee was designated by the Council with the task of reviewing the conditions for the...

9.92 (2011)
72 9.95 North America 9.95 (2010)
73 9.95 North America 9.88 (2010)
74 9.99 North America 9.95 (2010)
75 9.90 North America 9.80 (2011)
76 9.97 Africa
Confederation of African Athletics
The Confederation of African Athletics is the governing body for the sport of athletics in Africa. It is headquartered in Senegal. It organises the African Championships in Athletics and other continental competitions.-Members:...

9.89 (2011)
77 9.96 North America 9.96 (2011)
78 9.93 North America 9.93 (2011)
79 9.97 North America 9.97 (2011)
80 9.99 Europe
European Athletic Association
The European Athletic Association is the European governing body for the sport of athletics.- History :In 1932, during a meeting of the International Amateur Athletic Federation in Los Angeles, a special committee was designated by the Council with the task of reviewing the conditions for the...

9.99 (2011)

Totals

By year
Year No. of new athletes
1968 1
1977 1
1983 2
1984 1
1988 1
1989 2
1991 3
1992 3
1993 1
1994 1
1995 2
1996 1
1997 5
1998 2
1999 4
2000 3
2002 4
2003 6
2004 1
2005 5
2006 3
2007 4
2008 10
2009 4
2010 4
2011 6

By country
Nation No. of athletes
37
11
8
5
3
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1

By continent
Continent No. of athletes
Africa 12
Asia
Asian Athletics Association
The Asian Athletics Association is the continental governing body for the sport of athletics in Asia. It is headquartered in Singapore. It organises the Asian Championships in Athletics and other continental competitions....

1
Europe
European Athletic Association
The European Athletic Association is the European governing body for the sport of athletics.- History :In 1932, during a meeting of the International Amateur Athletic Federation in Los Angeles, a special committee was designated by the Council with the task of reviewing the conditions for the...

6
Oceania
Oceania Athletic Association
The Oceania Athletics Association is the governing body for the sport of athletics in Oceania. The OAA head office is located in Varsity Lakes, Gold Coast, Australia. More information can be obtained at Oceania Athletics Association's Official Website: http://www.athletics-oceania.com/-Member...

1
North and Central America
North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association
The North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association is the continental confederation governing body of athletics for national governing bodies and multi-national federations within North America, Central America and the Caribbean. NACAC is one of six area associations of the...

60
South America
CONSUDATLE
CONSUDATLE is the continental confederation governing body of athletics for national governing bodies and multi-national federations within South America. CONSUDATLE is one of six area associations of the International Amateur Athletic Federation...

0


Hand timed marks

The following sprinters all received a hand-timed mark of 9.9 seconds. All the runners held the world record simultaneously. However, the timing may not have been entirely accurate.
Sprinters who have broken the 10-second barrier with manual timing
Date first broken Athlete Nationality No. of times broken
2
1
1
4
1
1
1
2
1

External links

  • "How much faster can humans run?" article from The Independent
    The Independent
    The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...

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