On Sunday, Nigerian athlete Tobi Amusan set a world record in the women’s 100-meter hurdles in Eugene, Ore, with four others setting personal records. However, it wasn’t especially shocking, as world records often occur during prominent events like this one.
What was most astounding, though, was not the time but the sheer difference by which she broke the record, and the amount of personal and national records set by competitors in the event. The fourth, fifth, sixth, and eighth fastest runners in the competition set personal records as well.
Even Amusan looked stunned when she saw her time—12.12 seconds—the equivalent of running 8.25 meters per second. Furthermore, the fourth, fifth, sixth, and eighth-place runners also beat their personal records. The other three ran their best time of the year.
The most recent record, 12.20 seconds, set by Kendra Harrison of America in 2016, was broken by 0.08 of a second, a massive drop considering that the last four world records were broken by 0.01, 0.04, 0.01, and 0.03 seconds, according to the New York Times.
The fact that so many runners broke records made many question the accuracy of the timing system, or even the anemometer, which, at the beginning of the race, showed a tailwind of 0.924 meters per second, not passing the legal limit of 2 meters per second.
Amusan’s time was unusually fast even for her. She beat her record of 12.40 seconds, set on Saturday by 0.28 seconds. That record also represented an awe-inspiring margin in such a short race.
The second and third semifinals of the women’s 100 meters also had numerous speedy times, albeit not as many as the first. In the second semifinal, the top five fastest runners met or exceeded their personal bests. The third semifinal had two personal bests and three more season bests, according to the New York Times.
Moreover, comparing the speedy semifinal times to the final two hours later is difficult, since the runners faced a 2.524 meter per second wind. Amusan won the gold medal in an even faster time – 12.06 seconds – but that time will not be counted as a record due to the fact that the tailwind broke the limit of 2 meters per second.
All things considered, however, there was no questioning that 25-year-old Tobi Amusan, was worthy of winning the championship.
Source: The New York Times
What was most astounding, though, was not the time but the sheer difference by which she broke the record, and the amount of personal and national records set by competitors in the event. The fourth, fifth, sixth, and eighth fastest runners in the competition set personal records as well.
Even Amusan looked stunned when she saw her time—12.12 seconds—the equivalent of running 8.25 meters per second. Furthermore, the fourth, fifth, sixth, and eighth-place runners also beat their personal records. The other three ran their best time of the year.
The most recent record, 12.20 seconds, set by Kendra Harrison of America in 2016, was broken by 0.08 of a second, a massive drop considering that the last four world records were broken by 0.01, 0.04, 0.01, and 0.03 seconds, according to the New York Times.
The fact that so many runners broke records made many question the accuracy of the timing system, or even the anemometer, which, at the beginning of the race, showed a tailwind of 0.924 meters per second, not passing the legal limit of 2 meters per second.
Amusan’s time was unusually fast even for her. She beat her record of 12.40 seconds, set on Saturday by 0.28 seconds. That record also represented an awe-inspiring margin in such a short race.
The second and third semifinals of the women’s 100 meters also had numerous speedy times, albeit not as many as the first. In the second semifinal, the top five fastest runners met or exceeded their personal bests. The third semifinal had two personal bests and three more season bests, according to the New York Times.
Moreover, comparing the speedy semifinal times to the final two hours later is difficult, since the runners faced a 2.524 meter per second wind. Amusan won the gold medal in an even faster time – 12.06 seconds – but that time will not be counted as a record due to the fact that the tailwind broke the limit of 2 meters per second.
All things considered, however, there was no questioning that 25-year-old Tobi Amusan, was worthy of winning the championship.
Source: The New York Times
