Run-Down Forums

[sprintic]

Hi!

I've decided to make a list of the greatest sprint races ever. Look at my list, tell what you think and post your lists.

1. Atlanta 1996. Men's 100-meter Olympic final. Donovan Bailey sets new world record of 9.84 sec.
2. Atlanta 1996. Men's 200-meter Olympic final. Michael Johnson sets new world record of 19.32 sec.
3. Seoul 1988. Men's 100-meter Olympic final. Ben Johnson runs 100-meter dash in 9.79 sec.
4. Seville 1999. Michael Johnson sets new 400-meter world record of 43.18.
5. Indianapolis 1988. Florence Griffith-Joyner sets new 100-meter world record.
6. Seoul 1988. Women's 200-meter Olympic final. Florence Griffith-Joyner sets new 200-meter world record.
7. Athens 1999. Maurice Greene breaks the world record in 100 meters.
8. Canberra 1985. Women's 400-meter world record.
9. Athens 2005. Asafa Powell sets new 100-meter world record.
10. Barcelona 1992. USA team sets men's 4x100m relay world record.

You can read comments on every race here http://www.sprintic.com/extras/greatest_sprint_races/

[Dan]

That list seems heavily biased toward recent memory...

Dan
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[X King]

Though I agree with Dan in that your list only focuses on recent Sprint lore, your website 'sprintic' is just fabulous

I lost myself on there for hours when I first found it, and would easily do so again if it weren't for my finale from the Internet-induced T&F Athletics World
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[Indeurr]

[Kishan Gill]

The lists are of great performances in the form of world records. In my opinion the ingredients to a great race are firstly the outcome is uncertain and secondly you have two or more great rivals which is the cause of the first . If you get a world record in the process than it becomes a truly great run.

Two great runs that met that description this year were the 200m in luasanne where carter beat rivals Gay and spearmon in 19.63 and the High hurdles world record run by Liu in 12.88 holding of arnold by just 2/100ths of a second. Those were two great races.

Overall in the sprints I would not know where to begin as there have been hundreds of great races but from recent History and one that I have witnessed ( on TV ) I have to say it would have to be the 1996 Olympic 100m Final for men and the 1992 Olympic final for Women.

MJ's 19.32 run is arguably the greatest ever performance in a 200m if not in any sprint but MJ was the favourite although Fredericks was not to be taken lightly as a rival.

[Dan]

It's hard to imagine more suspense than there was for that '96 Oly 100m final, to be sure.

Dan
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[Kishan Gill]

It had all the elements of a great lineup.
Bailey (the current world champion)
Fredericks ( 1992 silver and the fastest time of the season )
Christie (the defending champion)
Boldon (NCAA record holder with 9.92)
Mitchell ( 1992 Bronze and always a consistent performer)
Marsh (the 1992 200m champion)
Apart from Christies dismissal (hard to say how well he would have performed as he was always a big meet performer however his form that year was not superb) it turned out to be quite a result. Despite Baileys win at the worlds in 1995 I like many believed Fredericks would pull it off after his superb 9.86 win in luasanne and his brilliant series through the qualifying rounds.
The womens event in 1992 was also wide open. Most pundits would have expected Torrence to get some sort of medal and Cuthbert and Privalova as long shots. But It was a fairy tale of sorts for Devers to lift the crown after her earlier history suffering fron graves disease. Echoes of Wilma Rudolph. Great race!.

[Fry the Sailor]

Ben Johnson in number 3? If my knowledge doesn't fail me, wasn't he outrightly found guilty of steroids?

I say we all try to imagine the 1936 Olympic games in Nazi Berlin. The Nazis used these games to show the "superiority" of the Aryan race. Then along comes Jesse Owens, an African-American, who then takes home 4 gold medals in sprints and the long jump.
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