Current Crop of Mens Sprinters

[Guest]

After just watching an old video of Bob Hayes decimating the field at the Tokyo Olympics in a faster time than the winner at the recent World Championships it takes very little to imagine what he would have been able to do to our current crop of sprinters on these modern tracks and with modern footwear.

Frightening!!

[Guest]

Re: Current Crop of Mens Sprinters

He might not have lapped them, but he'd have come close!

[michael lewis]

Re: Current Crop of Mens Sprinters

Has anyone ever tried to compare the kind of track Hayes ran on in Tokyo with the type of surface which replaced it? In the 1960's when they were making the transition from cinders to tartan, was there any data accumulated in order to attempt comparisons, theoretical or empirical (if possible) Has there ever been an accepted conversion factor to allow comparing times between such surfaces that anyone is aware of?

[gh]

Re: Current Crop of Mens Sprinters

No such analysis would be possible. Note that even today, when all the major tracks are "equal," that marks range all over the place from the same people, depending largely on just what the weather is like.

The difference in "dirt" tracks was phenomenal, the consistency/compsition affecting a 100y time by--and i hope I don't hyperbolize--by as much as two or three 10ths (10ths, not 100ths).

[michael lewis]

Re: Current Crop of Mens Sprinters

Is this correct: there were dirt tracks, then cinders, then synthetic? Would you hazard a guess on what either Wilma Rudolph's Rome 100 (11.18 +2.8 wind) would be worth on a modern track or Hayes' Tokyo 10.05? I figure a 0.15 difference at least. I think Rudolph, with modern training, vs Marion Jones would be a dream race.

[Guest]

Re: Current Crop of Mens Sprinters

What about FloJo's 10.49? Has everyone discounted this as drug-induced or wind-aided? I was there and saw it-INCREDIBLE!-and it's still in the books.

[6 5.5hjsteve]

Re: Current Crop of Mens Sprinters

Bob, I was there too, and she was a'flyin, drug help or no drug help, wind aided or no.

Forgetting the Drug isue, a lot of people have written off her 10.49 because of the contraversial wind issue ( the mysterious "0.00" ) but remember, she had a fully legit 10.6 something in the semi that same day.

[Guest]

Re: Current Crop of Mens Sprinters

I seem to recall it was very hot (over 100) and the wind was swirling. Carl Lewis ran a 9.78 wind aided earlier didn't he?

[6 5.5hjsteve]

Re: Current Crop of Mens Sprinters

yes, he did. And it was HOT all week.