3 ms·

Was wondering why the 1896 time of 12s was so slow - found this pic of the race - https://www.olympic.org/news/speed-merchant-burke-shines-in-the-sprint https:/

by jonmc12 10y ago

Was wondering why the 1896 time of 12s was so slow - found this pic of the race - https://www.olympic.org/news/speed-merchant-burke-shines-in-the-sprint https://www.olympic.org/news/speed-merchant-burke-shines-in-.... Running surface, shoes, starting blocks.. exactly. Today there are 8th graders that can run faster than 12s 100M.

ghaff 10y ago
I also like the "interesting" experimentation with starting technique.
mehwoot 10y ago
The 1896 olympics were very amateur, both in facilities and level of competition, even compared to 4 years later. Many top athletes did not compete.