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In Athens, the first modern 100-meter dash was held at the summer Olympics in 1896. The tracks were not
fast at this time, and the lanes were seperated by ropes. Each runner had their own unique style of running as well as starting.
In 1920, the Olympics were a little better. The athletes shared a similar style of running and there were no longer
ropes seperating the lanes. The track condition was still not that great however.
In London, in 1948, the first real starting blocks for the 100 m and 400m races , and accurate wind gauges were
added.
More developements have been added since then to improve the condition of the track. Today's tracks are
more durable and faster as records are still being broken. Devolements have been made to athlete's apparel, including their
shoes which are now very light weight, flexible and help the runner to accelerate easier.
The last Olympic Games,
which were held in Athens once again, showed that athletes are still improving because the Olympic records are still being
broken. Maurice Greene now holds the record in the 100m dash with a time of 9.79s. Compared to the first games, runners have
improved a great deal. This is because runners have learnt more about the physics involved in this sport and they have been
able to develope techniques that allow them to continually improve.
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| each athlete had their own stance |
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