Sprinter

Jesse Owens

American sprinter and long jumper, four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics

All evidence

1 record, newest first. Strength changes with age and weight class, so check the date and context before you compare.

1. 1936

   • 100 m10.2 s

     CompetitionAge 22, weeks before the Berlin OlympicsMeet in Chicago (official time taken during a 100 m race)

     “100 metres dash June 20, 1936: 10.2 seconds”

     Jesse Owens (Wikipedia, world records list)Official result1936-06-20

     Hand-timed world record of the era (equalled; broken in 1956). Hand times read about 0.24 s faster than electronic times.