Over 100 years ago, the men’s 100-meter was 10.4 seconds, set by Charlie Paddock. Fast forward to today, and over 250 track athletes have broken the 10-second barrier. It’s no different from what the future holds, either, but this monumental change is due to much more than it seems.
Today, the 100-meter record is held by Usain Bolt for his time of 9.58 seconds. This was almost a second faster than his 100-year-old counterpart, Paddock. This small time difference may not seem like much to the naked eye, but it’s important to put into perspective that just 60 years ago, the 10-second wall was thought to be impossible to break, and human limits wouldn’t allow it. Most people believe that our bodies weren’t built to run in these conditions. The same can be said for a sub-four-minute mile, a sub-two-hour marathon, and many more accomplishments that defied human expectations that were thought to be untouchable.
“For decades, being able to run faster than 10.5 seconds was considered the epitome of sprinting. But in the past decade or so, improvements have been seen, and more frequently, there are many high schoolers who are capable of running such times, some even as young as 14,” sprinter Zaven Torossian (10) said.
Torossian’s description of younger track athletes being able to run such fast times is spot on. Recently, a popular belief has grown that more people are running elite times earlier and way more often than ever. This has led to the modern term, “Trackflation.” It is defined as the “massive, rapid improvement in performance, with young athletes achieving elite and ridiculously impressive results.”
Trackflation can be best exemplified by the fact that high schoolers have been running times that can compete at the professional level and in world championships. In boys’ high school events, 13 of 18 national records have been broken since 2021. Quincy Wilson is a wonderful example of this at the highest level. At just 16, Wilson was the youngest track and field athlete Olympian in 2024 and helped the United States win a gold medal in the 4×400 meter relay. Wilson’s story exemplifies how younger athletes are popping out much faster at unusually young ages, and he is not the only one.
“Performances of today cannot be compared to those back then because of the sheer difference between them. In 1960, the gold medalist for the 100 meter ran roughly 10.2. In the last five-plus Olympics, however, the gold time is always significantly below 10 seconds, even with placement as low as top six breaking 10 seconds,” Torossian said.
Dillion Mitchell and Adaejah Hodge are 2 more remarkable examples. Mitchell running a 9.96-second 100-meter as a 16-year-old already makes him one of the fastest U18 (Under 18) sprinters of all time, setting him much faster than the world’s fastest man, Bolt, ran at their age. Hodge’s 10.77 100-meter time in April 2026 sets her as one of the fastest runners globally. At just 16 years old, she is comparable to the world women’s record of 10.49, set by Florence Griffith-Joyner in 1988. Forever, it was a question if 10 seconds could ever be broken; now the runners of today give us the expectation that a sub-9.5 is imminent.
“I’ve noticed people in my age group getting faster, making competition harder.” Ayala track athlete Jocelyn Reese (10) said.
What is causing it?
The massive improvement of track athletes at younger ages can be boiled down to many factors, the most prevalent being better training science and what actually helps a runner the best in their particular event. Athletes have extremely better training methods and research than 100 years ago. Another important improvement is footwear. From what used to be heavy high-cut leather shoes, similar to dress boots, being a track athlete’s main shoe has transformed into a type of science that’s critically studied by shoe brands to give an athlete an edge.
Today, track shoes usually have light-weight rebound foam, rigid carbon plates for energy return, and spike plates for the best traction. In fact, a 2024 study from the University of Massachusetts Amherst found that “super spikes” (track spikes with advanced foam and stiff plates) improved times in the 800m and 3000m by over two percent, a remarkable improvement for something as simple as shoes.
“About 100 years ago, athletes used to run on cinder or clay tracks that were soft and unstable, resulting in little energy return. Shoes were made of kangaroo leather with fixed steel spikes and virtually no cushioning, and were extremely heavy. Today, tracks are made of synthetic material that are specially made to return as much energy to the runner,” Ayala track athlete Bryson Caganap (10) said.
Since its beginning in Ancient Greece in 776 BCE, track has transformed into a type of science for athletes that just continues to reinvent itself. Track and field can be seen in a way that shows the evolution of humanity and emphasizes human resilience, pioneering, and unstoppable desire to be the best. The question that lies is not, “What can we do?” anymore, it is “What can’t we do?”
