Safety of athletics mourns the loss of Jim Hines, the primary man to finish the 100m race in beneath 10 seconds, who has handed away on the age of seventy six. Hines set the groundbreaking record in 1968, reaching a hand-timed 9.9 seconds at the US Championships. He then surpassed his own document on the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, securing a gold medal with an electronically-timed 9.ninety five seconds.
Hines’ report remained unbroken for practically 15 years, until Calvin Smith completed the race in 9.93 seconds in 1983. This makes Hines the longest document holder for the men’s 100m in the 110-year historical past of the International Amateur Athletic Foundation’s record-keeping. World Athletics announced Hines’ passing in a press release, expressing their deep disappointment at the information. The Olympics and USA Track and Field also paid tribute to the legendary athlete on Twitter.
Born in Arkansas in 1946, Hines grew up in Oakland, California, where he developed a ardour for sports activities, notably baseball. However, his distinctive expertise for sprinting emerged during his teenage years. Hines attended Texas Southern University, the place he ran for the Tigers observe group before taking part in national championships and the Olympics..