http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2700841/the_top_ten_sub10second_100_metermen.htmlPublished February 15, 2010
For most sprinters, ten seconds is the time to beat in the 100 meters. Jim Hines first accomplished the feat on October 14, 1968, clocking 9.95, to win the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Mexico City, Mexico. Since then, the ten-second barrier has been broken 445 times, unaided by wind, by over 70 sprinters. Ten runners account for 262 of these performances. The following is a review of their accomplishments.
1.) Asafa Powell, of Jamaica, has run 100 meters in less than ten seconds 60 times, the most by any current or past athlete. His first, 9.99, came on June 12, 2004, in Kingston, Jamaica. Powell went on to break ten seconds eight more times that year, including a 9.94 fifth place finish at the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. His best time that year, 9.87, came on September 3 in Brussels, Belgium. In 2005, Powell ran better than ten seconds four times, including a world record of 9.77 on June 14 in Athens, Greece. The following year witnessed him run 100 meters in less than ten seconds 12 times, including equaling his world record on June 11 in Gateshead, England, and on August 18 in Zurich, Switzerland. In 2007 Powell beat ten second eight times. At the World Championships that year, he clocked 9.96 in third place. On September 9, Powell established a world record on 9.74 in the qualifying heats at Rieti, Italy, before returning to win the final that same day in 9.78. On May 31, 2008, he lost his world record to Usain Bolt, who sped 9.72 in New York, NY. Nonetheless, Powell ran under ten seconds 15 times that year, including 9.72 in Lausanne, Switzerland, on September 2, which equaled then the second fastest time in history, since Bolt clocked 9.69 earlier in the Olympic Games in Beijing, China. In the Olympic final that year, Powell finished fifth in 9.95. In 2009, he ran under ten seconds 12 times, including 9.84 in third place at the World Track and Field Championships in Berlin, Germany, and 9.82, his best time that year, in Szczecin, Poland.
2.) Maurice Greene, of the United States, follows Powell with 53 sub-ten-second performances. His first, 9.96, came on June 12, 1997, in the qualifying heats of the USATF National Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana. Greene won the championship final in 9.90 on thefollowing day. In
1997, he ran 100 meters in less than ten second eight times, including his best time, 9.86, on August 3, to win the World Championships in Athens, Greece. Greene clocked eight sub-ten second 100 meters in 1998, with the fastest, 9.90, on August 5 in Stockholm, Sweden. In 1999, he sped nine times under ten seconds, including a world record of 9.79 on June 16 in Athens, Greece. At the World Championships that year, Greene won the 100 meters for a second time in 9.80. In 2000, he ran under ten seconds six times, including 9.87 for the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. Greene clocked eight 100's under ten seconds in 2001, including 9.82 in Edmonton, Alberta, to win a third consecutive world title. Although he beat ten seconds five times in 2002, he only did it once in 2003. Greene returned to form in 2004, exceeding ten seconds eight times, including 9.87, his best time, to finish third in the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.
3.) Ato Boldon, of Trinidad and Tobago, ranks third with 28 sub-ten-second performances. His first, 9.94, came on April 21, 1996, in Walnut, California. Boldon dipped under ten seconds six times in 1996, including 9.92 to win the NCAA title in Eugene, Oregon, a performance which established and remains the NCAA Championship meet record, and 9.90 to capture the bronze medal in the Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1997 he ran under ten seconds four times, recording a personal best of 9.87 in Athens, Greece. Boldon posted eight sub-ten-second performances in 1998, including a career best of 9.86, which established and remains the national record of Trinidad and Tobago. In 1998 he won the 100 meters at the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 9.88 seconds, which established and remains the Commonwealth Games record. Boldon equaled his best time in one of four sub ten performances in 1999. He bettered ten seconds twice in 2000, one of which claimed the silver medal in the Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. In 2001 Boldon notched four sub-ten second performances, including a 9.98 in third place at the World Championships in Edmonton, Alberta.4.) Frank Fredericks, of Namibia, follows Bolden with 27 sub-ten-second performances. His first, 9.95, came on August 25, 1991, at the World Track and Field Championships in Tokyo, Japan, where he finished fifth. Fredericks would not run better than ten seconds again until 1996, when he accomplished it seven times. In 1996, he finished second in the 100 meters in 9.89 at the Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia, and posted his career best time of 9.86 seconds. Fredericks beat ten seconds nine times in 1997, including a fourth place finish in 9.95 at the World Championships in Athens, Greece. In 1998, he ran eight sub-ten 100 meters, including 9.96 in second place behind Bolden at the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur. Fredericks posted 9.94, his only sub ten performance, in 1998 and 9.94, his only sub ten performance, in 2002.
5.) Tyson Gay, of the United States, ranks fifth with 19 sub-ten-second performances. His first, 9.88, came on July 21, 2006, in Réthimno, Greece. In 2006, Gay posted six sub-ten performances, with the fastest, 9.84, on August 18 in Zürich, Switzerland. Four sub-ten races followed in 2007, including another 9.84 for the USATF National Championship and a 9.85 for the World Championship. In 2008, Gay posted only two legal sub-ten races, including 9.77 for an American record in the quarterfinals at the USATF National Championship/Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon. In the Olympic Trials finals, he sped to a wind-aided 9.68, which stood as the fastest 100 meters under all conditions until Usain Bolt established the world record of 9.58 in 2009. Gay ran under ten seconds seven times in 2009, including three record setting performances. After equaling the American record, 9.77, on July 10 in Rome, Italy, he improved it to 9.71 on August 16 at the World Championships in Berlin, Germany. Gay lowered the record to 9.69 on September 20 in Shanghai, China.
6.) Donovan Bailey, of Canada, follows Gay with 16 sub-ten-second performances. His first, 9.99, came on April 22, 1995, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Bailey ran three sub-ten-second races in 1995, including a 9.97, to win the World Championship in Gothenburg, Sweden. His best time of the year, 9.91, came on July 15 in Montréal, Québec. Bailey posted four sub-ten performances in 1996, including a world record of 9.84 to win the Olympic title in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1997, he beat ten seconds six times, with his best time that year, 9.91, coming both in the semifinals and finals at the World Championships in Athens, Greece, where he finished second to Maurice Greene. Powell posted two sub ten races in 1998 and one in 2000.
7.) Usain Bolt, of Jamaica, ranks seventh with 16 sub-ten-second performances. His first, 9.76, came on May 3, 2008, in Kingston, Jamaica. After competing for much of the decade in the 200 meters, Bolt clocked ten sub-ten-second 100 meter races in 2008. In his third race that year, he established a world record of 9.72 on May 31 in New York, New York. Bolt won the gold medal in the Olympic Games in Beijing, China, on August 16 in the world and Olympic record time of 9.69. In 2009, he posted six sub-ten second performances, including a world record, 9.58, at the World Championships in Berlin, Germany.
8.) Carl Lewis, of the United States, follows Bolt with 15 sub-ten-second performances. His first, 9.97, came on May 14, 1983, in Modesto, California. Lewis ran 9.9 three times in 1984, including one to win the Olympic title in Los Angeles, California. In 1985 he posted 9.98 for his only sub ten second performance that year. After none the following year, Lewis ran once under ten seconds again in 1987, but his 9.93 at the World Championships in Rome, Italy, equaled the world record. In 1988, he posted six races under ten seconds, including another 9.93 in Zurich, Switzerland, and a new world record of 9.92 on September 24 to win the Olympic title in Seoul, South Korea. Lewis ran three races under ten seconds in 1991, including a world record of 9.86 on August 25, to win the World Championships in Tokyo, Japan.
9.) Dennis Mitchell, of the United States, ranks ninth with 12 sub-ten-second performances. His first, 9.99, came on August 25, 1991, in the semifinals at the World Championships in Tokyo, Japan, where later that day, he posted 9.91, finishing third in the final. After a 9.99, his only sub ten performance in 1993, Mitchell posted five sub ten second races in 1994, with the fastest, 9.94, on July 22 in Oslo, Norway. Failing to run below ten seconds in 1995, he achieved the feat four times in 1996, including a 9.92 on June 15, to win the Olympic Trials in Atlanta, Georgia. After finishing fourth, in 9.99, at the Olympic Games in Atlanta, Mitchell ran his fastest time of the year, 9.91, equaling his career best, in Milan, Italy.
10.) Justin Gatlin, of the United States, follows Mitchell with 11 sub-ten-second performances. His first, 9.97, came on August 15, 2003, in Zürich, Switzerland. Gatlin ran under ten seconds five times in 2004, including 9.85 to win the Olympic title in Athens, Greece. He posted five sub-ten-second performances in 2005, including 9.88 to win the World Championships in Helsinki, Finland. Gatlin equaled the world record of 9.77 on May 12, 2006, in Doha, Qatar, but positive test results for performance enhancing drugs annulled the record in April that year.
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