Breaking the Record: 100 Years of Olympic History

100-Meter Sprint

1912: Ralph Craig, USA, 10.8 seconds

2008: Usain Bolt, Jamaica, 9.69 seconds

Arguably the most glamorous event in all of sports, the winner of the 100-meter sprint claims the unofficial title of speediest man on the planet. In 1912, the fastest human was Ralph Craig, who broke the 11-second barrier—an amazing feat at the time. Usain Bolt runs the event over a second faster, which begs the question: In 100 years, can we expect a man to run a sub-nine second 100? Seems impossible, but if the past is any indication, don’t count it out.