1. The word “sprint” was first seen in English around 1780 to mean a spring-powered snare for catching birds.
2. Around 1800, it was used to mean a leap forward, by humans or animals. It was first used for fast running in 1862.
3. At the first modern Olympics in 1896, Thomas Burke (US) won the 100m in 12 seconds.
4. Modern running track design has really improved times by giving back to the runner energy from the sideways movement of the feet.
5. Sogelau Tuvalu of Samoa came last in the 100m World Championship in 2011 in a personal best of 15.66 seconds. He weighed more than 20 stone.
6. A cheetah has been timed running 100 metres in 5.95 seconds.
7. Over the past century, the 100m world record has gone down about 0.1 seconds every 10 years.
8. Research shows that good sprinters have a high ratio of ring finger to index finger length.
9. Research has also shown that men with long index fingers tend to drive cars fast.
10. At 6ft 5in tall, Usain Bolt is the tallest and heaviest Olympic 100m champion of all time.