The first person to run 100 meters in 10 seconds

On September 6, 1958, the Mencheta news agency’s teletype reported: “One of the most sensational sporting events of all time took place today, Saturday afternoon. frederikshavn, arrive.coast lake constance. For a long time, the limit of 10 seconds for 100 meters has been considered an unattainable goal, but this time, it was achieved by 21-year-old German young athlete Amin Harry. When Harry ran 100 meters, the five timekeepers consulted with each other. Three of the timekeepers scored 9.9/10, and the other two timekeepers scored 10 seconds. The track was immediately measured accurately, and the result was exactly 100 meters, without any wind affecting the athletes’ performance.

“There is no controversy that can lead to this record, therefore, it will definitely be approved – news continues -. So, two years after reaching 10.1/10 Willie Williams and Dr. Murchisona time that was already considered sensational, then equals lemon king, a new reduction of one-tenth of a second. In 1956, Harry was virtually unknown. Aged nineteen at the time, he crossed the 200m hurdles at the Junior Championships with a time of 25.2/10. He won the youth 100m title last year with a time of 10.4/10, which bodes well for the German’s future, but even his most loyal supporters did not foresee a victory like today’s.

The signers of the good news are wrong. Yes, there was indeed controversy, so the joy only lasted three days. The time it takes for the Mencheta institution itself to update information. «Amin Khali’s record in danger”, ABC headline news on September 10: “German sprinter Armin Khali ran a 100-meter track in 10 seconds on Saturday, with a horizontal difference of 11 centimeters between the start and finish lines, officials confirmed. .This control is carried out by technical personnel designated by the state german athletics federation Based on this observation, Amin Khali’s record will most likely not be recognized since international rules only allow an error of one thousandth of a meter, or ten centimeters in a hundred metres. In fact, it is not considered effective.

Flights to the United States

“Running 10.0 seconds was an incredible achievement at the time, but it was not recognized by the German authorities. The athlete’s website arminhary.com wrote that the track was one millimeter steeper than allowed by the rules. Amin was devastated. Absolutely, flee to California (USA), where he met new friends and discovered new ways to train. But he soon realizes that he must return to his home country to prove that he is the fastest man in the world.

“There were some people who were envious of my record in 1958,” Harry said long after that, “but I’m sure I’ll do it again.” Less than two years later, in June 1960, he was zurich. “Repeat” couldn’t be more appropriate: He had to run the 100 meters twice for this astonishing record to be valid. The World Athletics website worldathletics.org provides a detailed introduction to this. International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF)On the record’s 60th anniversary: ​​”The German Football Association, with whom he is often at loggerheads, has banned him from the Zurich tournament, in theory to give him a break before the match. rome olympics (The celebration period is from August 25th to September 11th of the same year). However, Harry was fascinated by playing in the legendary Swiss stadium. Letzgrund what after Martin Lauer In 1959, two world records were set there: 13.2 points in the 110-meter hurdles and 22.5 points in the 200-meter hurdles.

«So Harry went to work in a department store in Frankfurt on the morning of June 21st and reported for duty. Walter Langehis club president, FSV Frankfurt, made the necessary arrangements, and around ten o’clock in the morning, the athletes obtained permission to participate in that night’s competition. However, the only flight from Frankfurt to Zurich was fully booked. FSV managed to convince a passenger to exchange his ticket for two tickets to the German Football Championship final four days later: Hamburg-Cologne (3-2). “I got in the car and drove like crazy to the airport. I had one foot on the gas and the other on the grave,” Harry recalled. After arriving in Zurich, Amin was exhausted and fell asleep. Another German sprinter, Jürgen Schuettlerwoke him up on time so that he could arrive at the stadium rested.

«The match starts at 7:45 pm. Harry quickly accelerated and passed six of his competitors. The three stopwatches read 9.9, 9.95 and 10.0. The backup clock shows 9.9 and the regular tailwind is 0.6 m/s. Obvious 10.0…but… His departure was deemed invalid and so was his time.. “It wasn’t a false start, it was just that no one understood why my reaction time was so fast,” he said. Outraged, he called for a review of the verdict with the help of German journalist Gustav Schwenk. But the judge did not overturn the decision.

“Schwenk then reminded Harry that IAAF rules allow judges to authorize a rerun if there is doubt about a decision made. Half an hour after the race ended, they agreed to compete again… but they needed at least two more The athletes are willing to compete again. Two compatriots, Heinz Muller and Jürgen Schuettler“They agreed.”

“The rematch is scheduled to start at 8:20pm…” Harry ran gracefully, relaxedly, like a machine, away from his competitors. According to Zurich Sport, “he crossed the finish line about three meters ahead of Müller.” The official clock shows 9.9, 10.0 and 10.0. The other two clocks each show 10.0, and the sixth clock shows 10.1. A convincing 10.0. 10.1. World record Willie Williams, Ian Murchison and Limon King (all occurred in 1956) and Ray Norton (1959) eclipsed. Harry achieved his dream. He completely lost his mind and jumped with joy across the fields, hugging everyone he met. Martin Raul was one of the first to congratulate him, saying: “I will chop off the head of anyone who dares to doubt this world record.”

The third time, there was finally no doubt. The German breaks the world record in the 100-meter dash, displacing an American athlete. excellent. Harry keeps three mementos from that historic night: the starting blocks he made himself, the cleats from his shoes and his jersey.

Born in 1937 KieshidA small town in southwestern Germany, Harry spent a difficult childhood in a region marked by hard work in the coal mines. The family did not have enough money, and it was clear to Amin that he had the ability and attitude to excel in sports. He started out playing football but soon realized his speed was better suited for track and field. He trained gruelingly in the frozen forests of his native country under unimaginable conditions, spending hours honing one of the keys to his performance: starting. He practices in and out of the house every day, which makes his reaction time at the start of a game terrifying and unparalleled.

That “sensation,” the world record, took eight years to be broken: in 1968, the American haines and Smith They ran 100 meters in 9.9 seconds.