the-BA : He's off to a flyer...

At the time of writing, the fastest ever 100m sprinter is Tim Montgomery of the USA. He clocked an incredible 9.78 seconds at the 2002 International Association of Athletics Federations final in Paris, France. The previous world record was 9.79 seconds – a mere 100th of a second slower. That’s why it’s so important that sprinters get off to a flying start; not only does every second count, every fraction of a second counts, too!

Have you ever wondered how fast a sprinter’s reactions are? And how can such small fractions of time be recorded accurately?

You might like to …

• do some research to find out the reaction speeds of 100m sprinters; find out what equipment is used to time the races; find out what technology is used to calculate their reaction speed and to make sure they don’t false start
• carry out some research to see who has the best start (perhaps among yourself and friends, or between different groups such as male and female athletes); carry out some investigations to see what factors affect your reaction speed
• find out about starting blocks; carry out some tests on different starting blocks, or starting blocks adjusted in different positions, to see how they affect your sprint start
• try to time a 100m race using a stop watch; see how accurate you are (perhaps watch a race on the telly and see how your results compare to the electronic timer); try to design and set up an electronic timing device on your school field or athletics track to accurately time runners.

Further links:
http://www.alge-timing.com/alge-e.htm

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