The 100m race someone said it is the most valuable and unpredictable event in the world such as at the Olympic Games attract much attention particularly when the world record is thought to be within reach.

The men\'s world record has been improved upon eleven times since the introduction of electronic timing in 1968 never being surpassed by more than 0.05 s at a time. The current men\'s world record of 9.72 s is held by Usain Bolt of Jamaica set at the Icahn Stadium in New York on 31 May 2008 at the Reebok Grand Prix. The current women\'s world record of 10.49 s was set by Florence Griffith-Joyner in Indianapolis Indiana on 16 July 1988.

Due to the progression of record times compared to longer distance races the downward march of the 100 m record has been criticized as more a measure of technological advances in training technology than athletic greatness.