Men's 100 Meter

A race of great prestige among the athletes, 100 meter sprint for men is a much-awaited event in the Summer Olympics. Winner of the race is given the title of the fastest man on the earth.

Debut in Olympics
The event has been in the Olympics since the inception of the modern games in 1896, the Athens Olympics. Since its debut, the sprint gold has been the target of the athletes from all parts of the world.

Venue of the Race
100 meter sprint for men is held in an oval shaped ground. The race begins from an extended portion of the track so that the athletes might run in a straight line at the end of their race.

Rules
The International Association of Athletics Federations or IAAF has set the following rules for 100 meter sprint for men.

• If the competitors exceed 10 in number, preliminary heat races have to be held. The top sprinters will meet in the next round.
• Length and width of the track and lanes should not violate the instruction of IAAF.
• Any sprinter who obstructs his fellow sprinter will be disqualified. In this case, if the referee deems it proper, he can order the entire competition to be held again.
• Any runner with a false start will be first warned. If he repeats the mistake, he will be disqualified.
• The competitors are allowed to run with spiked shoes.
• The heats, quarter-finals and semi-finals must be arranged by the appointed technical delegates.
• The time shall be recorded to 1/100th of a second.
• An athlete is not awarded any credit if he is unable to finish the race.
• A permitted automatic timing device must be used for measurement of the time.
• Athletes are not allowed to run inside the inner curve of the track.

Domination of Sprint
The USA has always been the dominating force in the 100 meter Sprint for Men in the Olympics.

Great Athletes
Great athletes of the 100 meter sprint for men have been Carl Lewis, Jesse Owens, Linford Christie, Tom Burke, Ato Boldon, Donovan Bailey, Maurice Greene, and Asafa Powell.

Controversy
It were 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics. Ben Johnson of Canada won 100 meter sprint event setting a world record timing of 9.79 seconds and defeating eminent athlete Carl Lewis in the process. However, in the dope test after the event, Ben tested positive and was held guilty of consuming performance supporting drugs. As a result, he lost his title and the Olympic Medal, which were awarded to runner up, Carl Lewis.