The 100-meter (100-metre in UK English) sprint is the most iconic event in track and field. It’s often considered the ultimate test of speed since it only lasts about 10 seconds for elite males and 11 seconds for elite females. The winner of the 100 meters at the Olympic Games is often dubbed as the “world’s fastest man” or “world’s fastest woman.”
The men’s world record is held by Usain Bolt of Jamaica, who clocked 9.58 seconds at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin. Bolt also holds the second-fastest time in history, a time of 9.63 seconds, set during his gold-medal run at the 2012 London Olympics.
On the women’s side, the world record is 10.49 seconds, set by American sprinter Florence Griffith-Joyner in 1988. There remains controversy about the wind reading for that performance.
History of the 100m | 100m track History
The 100-meter sprint can trace its roots to the Ancient Greek equivalent, the “stadion” race. During this race, athletes sprinted the length of a stadium, which was approximately 192 meters at Olympia Stadion.
The 100 meters has been a part of every modern Olympic Games since its inaugural in 1896. The American Thomas Burke won with a time of 12.0 seconds.
Luther Cary set the first recognized men’s 100-meter record at 10.8 seconds in 1891, before records were ratified by World Athletics (formerly the IAAF).
The first men’s record to be ratified by World Athletics was Donald Lippincott’s time of 10.6 seconds set in Sweden in 1912. In the early 20th century, races were hand-timed and rounded to the nearest tenth of a second. It wouldn’t be until 1977 that electric timing and rounding to a hundredth of a second would be required for all records and official performances.
Jim Hines was the first person to run under 10 seconds with electric timing. He ran 9.95 seconds in Mexico City in 1968. His record would stand for 15 years. This time has now been broken numerous times and is currently 110th on the all-time list. Usain Bolt has held the World Record since 2008, and he has broken his own record twice.
On the women’s side, the first recognized record by the International Association of Athletics Federations in 1922 was a time of 13.6 seconds set by Marie Mejzlíková. Over the next 50 years, the record would drop to 10.8 seconds when Renate Stecher (née Meißner) ran this time in 1973 before the conversion to electronic timing.
The currently recognized women’s record of 10.49 seconds was set by Florence Griffith-Joyner in 1988.
Men’s 100 Meters | Fastest 100m Men All-Time
Here’s a look at the 10 fastest times in the history of the men’s 100-meter.
| Rank | Time | Wind (m/s) | Name | Country | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9.58 | 0.9 | Usain BOLT | JAM | Berlin (GER) | 16 Aug 2009 |
| 2 | 9.69 | 2 | Tyson GAY | USA | Shanghai (CHN) | 20 Sep 2009 |
| 2 | 9.69 | -0.1 | Yohan BLAKE | JAM | Lausanne (SUI) | 23 August 2012 |
| 4 | 9.72 | 0.2 | Asafa POWELL | JAM | Lausanne (SUI) | 2 September 2008 |
| 5 | 9.74 | 0.9 | Justin GATLIN | USA | Doha (QAT) | 15 May 2015 |
| 6 | 9.76 | 0.6 | Christian COLEMAN | USA | Doha (QAT) | 28 Sep 2019 |
| 6 | 9.76 | 1.2 | Trayvon BROMELL | USA | Nairobi (KEN) | 18 September 2021 |
| 6 | 9.76 | 1.4 | Fred KERLEY | USA | Eugene, OR (USA) | 24 Jun 2022 |
| 9 | 9.77 | 1.2 | Ferdinand OMANYALA | KEN | Nairobi (KEN) | 18 September 2021 |
| 9 | 9.77 | 0.9 | Kishane THOMPSON | JAM | Kingston (JAM) | 28 June 2024 |
Men’s Season Bests since the Year 2000
Here’s a look at the fastest men’s 100-meter time each year since 2000.
| Year | Time (seconds) | Sprinter | City |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 9.86 | Maurice Greene (USA) | Berlin |
| 2001 | 9.82 | Maurice Greene (USA) | Edmonton |
| 2002 | 9.89 | Maurice Greene (USA) | Rome |
| 2003 | 9.93 | Patrick Johnson (AUS) | Mito |
| 2004 | 9.85 | Justin Gatlin (USA) | Athens |
| 2005 | 9.77 | Asafa Powell (JAM) | Athens |
| 2006 | 9.77 | Asafa Powell (JAM) | Gateshead |
| Zürich | |||
| 2007 | 9.74 | Asafa Powell (JAM) | Rieti |
| 2008 | 9.69 | Usain Bolt (JAM) | Beijing |
| 2009 | 9.58 | Usain Bolt (JAM) | Berlin |
| 2010 | 9.78 | Tyson Gay (USA) | London |
| Nesta Carter (JAM) | Rieti | ||
| 2011 | 9.76 | Usain Bolt (JAM) | Brussels |
| 2012 | 9.63 | Usain Bolt (JAM) | London |
| 2013 | 9.77 | Usain Bolt (JAM) | Moscow |
| 2014 | 9.77 | Justin Gatlin (USA) | Brussels |
| 2015 | 9.74 | Justin Gatlin (USA) | Doha |
| 2016 | 9.8 | Justin Gatlin (USA) | Eugene |
| 2017 | 9.82 | Christian Coleman (USA) | Eugene |
| 2018 | 9.79 | Christian Coleman (USA) | Brussels |
| 2019 | 9.76 | Christian Coleman (USA) | Doha |
| 2020 | 9.86 | Michael Norman (USA) | Fort Worth |
| 2021 | 9.76 | Trayvon Bromell (USA) | Nairobi |
| 2022 | 9.76 | Fred Kerley (USA) | Eugene |
| 2023 | 9.83 | Zharnel Hughes (GBR) | New York City |
| Noah Lyles (USA) | Budapest | ||
| Christain Coleman | Xiamen | ||
| 2024 | 9.77 | Kishane Thompson (JAM) | Kingston |
Women’s 100 meters | Fastest women’s 100m
Here are the 10 fastest times in the history of the women’s 100-meter.
| Rank | Time (s) | Wind | Sprinter | Country | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10.49 | 0.0 | Florence Griffith-Joyner | USA | Indiapolis, USA | 16 July, 1988 |
| 2 | 10.54 | 0.9 | Elaine THOMPSON-HERAH | JAM | Eugene, OR (USA) | 21 Aug 2021 |
| 3 | 10.6 | 1.7 | Shelly-Ann FRASER-PRYCE | JAM | Lausanne (SUI) | 26 August 2021 |
| 4 | 10.64 | 1.2 | Carmelita JETER | USA | Shanghai (CHN) | 20 September 2009 |
| 5 | 10.65 | 1.1 | Marion JONES | USA | Johannesburg (RSA) | 12 Sep 1998 |
| 5 | 10.65 | 1 | Shericka JACKSON | JAM | Kingston (JAM) | 7 Jul 2023 |
| 5 | 10.65 | -0.2 | Sha’Carri RICHARDSON | USA | Budapest (HUN) | 21 August 2023 |
| 8 | 10.72 | 0.4 | Marie-Josée TA LOU | CIV | Monaco (MON) | 10 Aug 2022 |
| 8 | 10.72 | -0.1 | Julien ALFRED | LCA | Paris (FRA) | 3 August 2024 |
| 10 | 10.73 | 2 | Christine ARRON | FRA | Budapest (HUN) | 19 August 1998 |
100m women’s world record Controversy
The women’s 100-meter world record is held by Florence Griffith-Joyner of the United States, who ran an incredible 10.49 seconds on July 16, 1988, during the U.S. Olympic Trials in Indianapolis. “Flo-Jo’s” record-breaking run remains one of the most iconic moments in track and field history. Her time broke the previous record by 0.27 seconds. Despite advancements in training and technology, no woman has surpassed her time, although in recent years, Elaine Thompson-Herah and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce came close.
There remains controversy over the wind reading of Flo Jo’s run. The legal limit for records in athletics is +2.0m/s. Despite the wind reader measuring 0.0m/s, the reading in the women’s triple jump registered 4.3m/s.
100 meters women Yearly top lists since 2000 | Women’s 100m
Here’s a look at the fastest time in the world each year by a woman since 2000.
| Year | Time (seconds) | Sprinter | City |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 10.78 | Marion Jones (USA) | London |
| 2001 | 10.82 | Zhanna Block (UKR) | Edmonton |
| 2002 | 10.91 | Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie (BAH) | Manchester |
| 2003 | 10.86 | Chryste Gaines (USA) | Monaco |
| 2004 | 10.77 | Ivet Lalova (BUL) | Plovdiv |
| 2005 | 10.84 | Chandra Sturrup (BAH) | Lausanne |
| 2006 | 10.82 | Sherone Simpson (JAM) | Kingston |
| 2007 | 10.89 | Veronica Campbell-Brown (JAM) | Kingston |
| 2008 | 10.78 | Torri Edwards (USA) | Eugene |
| Shelly-Ann Fraser (JAM) | Beijing | ||
| 2009 | 10.64 | Carmelita Jeter (USA) | Shanghai |
| 2010 | 10.78 | Veronica Campbell-Brown (JAM) | Eugene |
| 2011 | 10.7 | Carmelita Jeter (USA) | Eugene |
| 2012 | 10.7 | Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (JAM) | Kingston |
| 2013 | 10.71 | Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (JAM) | Moscow |
| 2014 | 10.8 | Tori Bowie (USA) | Monaco |
| 2015 | 10.74 | Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (JAM) | Saint-Denis |
| 2016 | 10.7 | Elaine Thompson (JAM) | Kingston |
| 2017 | 10.71 | Elaine Thompson (JAM) | Kingston |
| 2018 | 10.85 | Marie-Josée Ta Lou (CIV) | Doha |
| Dina Asher-Smith (GBR) | Berlin | ||
| 2019 | 10.71 | Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (JAM) | Doha |
| 2020 | 10.85 | Elaine Thompson-Herah (JAM) | Rome |
| 2021 | 10.54 | Elaine Thompson-Herah (JAM) | Eugene |
| 2022 | 10.62 | Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (JAM) | Monaco |
| 2023 | 10.65 | Shericka Jackson (JAM) | Kingston |
| Sha’Carri Richardson (USA) | Budapest | ||
| 2024 | 10.71 | Sha’Carri Richardson (USA) | Eugene |
Olympic 100m Champions | 100 meters Olympics
These are the Olympic Champions in the 100- meter every year since the first modern Olympics in 1896.
| Year | Men’s champion | Women’s champion |
|---|---|---|
| 1896 | Thomas Burke (USA) | — |
| 1900 | Frank Jarvis (USA) | — |
| 1904 | Archie Hahn (USA) | — |
| 1908 | Reggie Walker (RSA) | — |
| 1912 | Ralph Craig (USA) | — |
| 1920 | Charlie Paddock (USA) | — |
| 1924 | Harold Abrahams (GBR) | — |
| 1928 | Percy Williams (CAN) | Betty Robinson (USA) |
| 1932 | Eddie Tolan (USA) | Stanisława Walasiewicz (POL) |
| 1936 | Jesse Owens (USA) | Helen Stephens (USA) |
| 1948 | Harrison Dillard (USA) | Fanny Blankers-Koen (NED) |
| 1952 | Lindy Remigino (USA) | Marjorie Jackson (AUS) |
| 1956 | Bobby Morrow (USA) | Betty Cuthbert (AUS) |
| 1960 | Armin Hary (EUA) | Wilma Rudolph (USA) |
| 1964 | Bob Hayes (USA) | Wyomia Tyus (USA) |
| 1968 | Jim Hines (USA) | Wyomia Tyus (USA) |
| 1972 | Valeriy Borzov (URS) | Renate Stecher (GDR) |
| 1976 | Hasely Crawford (TRI) | Annegret Richter (FRG) |
| 1980 | Allan Wells (GBR) | Lyudmila Kondratyeva (URS) |
| 1984 | Carl Lewis (USA) | Evelyn Ashford (USA) |
| 1988 | Carl Lewis (USA) | Florence Griffith Joyner (USA) |
| 1992 | Linford Christie (GBR) | Gail Devers (USA) |
| 1996 | Donovan Bailey (CAN) | Gail Devers (USA) |
| 2000 | Maurice Greene (USA) | Not Assigned* |
| 2004 | Justin Gatlin (USA) | Yulia Nestsiarenka (BLR) |
| 2008 | Usain Bolt (JAM) | Shelly-Ann Fraser (JAM) |
| 2012 | Usain Bolt (JAM) | Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (JAM) |
| 2016 | Usain Bolt (JAM) | Elaine Thompson (JAM) |
| 2020 | Marcell Jacobs (ITA) | Elaine Thompson-Herah (JAM) |
| 2024 | Noah Lyles (USA) | Julien Alfred |
2024 Olympic Finals | 100 meters Olympics 2024
These are the most recent results of the 100-meter finals at the 2024 Olympic Games.
Men’s 100m Final at the 2024 Olympics | Olympics 100-meters Men
The 100-meter at the 2024 Olympics was a photo finish between Noah Lyles and Kishane Thompson. Initially it looked like Thompson pulled ahead, but after review Lyles was named the winner.
100 Meters Olympics Men Results
| Place | Athlete | Country | Time | Reaction Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Noah LYLES | USA | 9.79 | 0.178 |
| 2 | Kishane THOMPSON | JAM | 9.79 | 0.176 |
| 3 | Fred KERLEY | USA | 9.81 | 0.108 |
| 4 | Akani SIMBINE | RSA | 9.82 | 0.149 |
| 5 | Lamont Marcell JACOBS | ITA | 9.85 | 0.114 |
| 6 | Letsile TEBOGO | BOT | 9.86 | 0.178 |
| 7 | Kenneth BEDNAREK | USA | 9.88 | 0.163 |
| 8 | Oblique SEVILLE | JAM | 9.91 | 0.171 |
Women’s 100m Olympics 2024 | 100 Meters Olympics Women
Sha’Carri Richardson was the favorite heading into the Olympic women’s 100-meter final in 2024. However, it was Julien Alfred that would pull away and win the first gold medal ever for her country Saint Lucia.
The Women’s 100 Meters Final Results | The 100m Women’s Final
| Position | Athlete | Country | Time | reaction time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Julien ALFRED | LCA | 10.72 | 0.144 |
| 2 | Sha’Carri RICHARDSON | USA | 10.87 | 0.221 |
| 3 | Melissa JEFFERSON | USA | 10.92 | 0.144 |
| 4 | Daryll NEITA | GBR | 10.96 | 0.135 |
| 5 | Twanisha TERRY | USA | 10.97 | 0.167 |
| 6 | Mujinga KAMBUNDJI | SUI | 10.99 | 0.136 |
| 7 | Tia CLAYTON | JAM | 11.04 | 0.16 |
| 8 | Marie-Josée TA LOU-SMITH | CIV | 13.84 | 0.143 |
100m FAQs | 100 Meters Questions
Why Do They Run 100 Meters at the Olympics? | 100 Meters on a Track
The 100-meter has become the standard for pure speed since the race is short enough that there’s little deceleration.
How Fast Can the Average Person Run 100 meters? | Average time to Run 100 Meters
It’s hard to say how fast the average person might run the 100 meters. Around 15 to 17 seconds is probably a good approximation for people who are reasonably fit. People who are older or who aren’t in shape will likely run significantly slower.
What is a Good 100m Time? | 100 Meters Race Benchmarks
The top males in the world can run under 10 seconds for the 100-meter and the top females run under 11 seconds. Even running a second slower than these times would place well at most regional and some national competitions.
How Fast Can a Cheetah Run the 100 Meters? | 100m Dash Time for a Cheetah
An 11-year-old cheetah named Sarah ran 100 meters in 5.95 seconds. It reached 61 miles-per-hour (98 kilometers per hour).
How Far is 100 Meters?
One hundred meters is one side of a standard running track or roughly the length of a soccer field. Put another way, it’s the length of a 30 story building lying on its side.
What is 100 Meters in Feet? | 100 Meters to Yards
In imperial, 100 meters is about 328 feet or 109 yards.
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