100 Meter Dash History

The 100-meter dash has very simple mechanics that you can learn just by watching the race. The name of the event alone pretty much explains what it is all about. The nice thing about this form of track and field competition is that you can try it yourself with some friends if there is a wide open field that spans 100 meters. You can also get a nice glimpse of the race by watching the very best compete in the 100-meter dash at the Summer Olympics every four years.

The 100-meter dash has a long history dating to antiquity.
The earliest form of this type of racing competition took place in ancient Greece. Many historians believe that the Olympic Games started back in 776 B.C. in Olympia. During that time, a running event known as Stadion was featured as one of the major Pentathlon events. This event was held in a stadium in Olympia with a track measuring around 190 meters. But the distance that the sprinters had to cover was just 95 meters. However, the sprinters had to run back to the starting position so the distance is doubled. Organizers dealt with false starts by adding starting blocks. A trumpet was blown to signal the start of the race. Later on,the starting gate or husplex was invented to make sure all sprinters started at the same time.

The modern Olympics kicked off in 1896 in Athens, Greece and the 100-meter dash was of the events. The Americans secured the first place position for more than a decade with Thomas Burke being the first American to win the very first event. South Africa’s Reginald Walker took the spot in 1908, but the United States holds the record for winning the most 100-meter dash medals. Jamaica's 100 meter Bolt (Usain Bolt) holds the current fastest time ever for the event.

The race mechanics slightly changed in terms of starting the race. Back in ancient Greece, sprinters had to start racing from an upright position. Nowadays, you will see sprinters crouched until the gun is fired. The starting blocks are provided for the runner’s heels. This allowed sprinters to gain a speed advantage as it boosts acceleration. This means that sprinters can reach their maximum speed in a shorter period of time. The Olympic Games in 1948 held in London was the first Olympic Games where starting blocks were used in a 100-meter dash event.

As the technology started to evolve, organizers started to detect false starts electronically by using sensors. This made it more difficult to cheat since it can detect false starts even if a sprinter starts a fraction of a second before the gun is shot. This is because the gun is linked to the starting blocks. People normally sprint outdoors, which means that the wind and altitude can have positive or negative effects on sprinters.