ON THIS DAY...

100 Years ago....

The world's fastest human gets faster

April 23, 1921

Charles Paddock, the USA's flamboyant blond Olympic champion sprinter, today proved himself to be "The World's Fastest Human", winning the 100 metres at Redlands, California, in an astonishing 10.4 seconds, a full fifth of a second better than the world record set by his fellow American Donald Lippincott, nine years ago.

Paddock's historic sprint - preceded, as always, by his ostentatiously touching wood for luck, and climaxed by his famous exaggerated leap for the tape - was also timed at 9.6 seconds at 100 yards, equalling that world record.

Article from "Chronicle of the 20th Century" ISBN 1 872031 80 3