Barrier Breakers in Track & Field - Part 1 Quiz | Sports

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1. Who was the first man in history to clock the 100 metre dash in under 10 seconds?

Answer: Jim Hines (USA)

Jim Hines (born 10 September 1946) won the gold medal at 1968 Mexico Olympics in 9.95 seconds and became the first man to break the 10 seconds barrier. He held that record for 15 years until Calvin Smith (born 8 January 1961) broke it in 9.93 seconds in 1983. Jamaican Usain Bolt (born 21 August 1986) was the first man to go under 9.6 seconds, achieving 9.58 seconds at the 2009 World Athletics Championship in Berlin.

2. Usain Bolt and Michael Johnson were two of the greatest 200 m runners who consistently clocked below 20 seconds. Who became the first male athlete to break the 20 seconds barrier?

Answer: Tommie Smith (USA)

Tommie Smith (born 6 June 1944) won the gold medal in 19.83 seconds to become the first man to go under the 20 seconds barrier at the 1968 Mexico Olympics Games. Usain Bolt was the first man to go under 19.2 seconds, after clocking a time of 19.19 seconds at the 2009 World Athletics Championship in Berlin.

3. Who was the first male athlete to clear over 8 ft (2.44 m) in high jump?

Answer: Javiar Sotomayor (CUB)

Sotomayor (born 13 October 1967), a top high-jumper from the late 1980s to 1990s achieved that height in 1989 at the Central American and Caribbean Championships held in San Juan. In 1993, he created another new mark at 2.45 m (8 feet and one-half inch). Sotomayor won an Olympic gold medal at 1992 Barcelona.

4. American Dick Fosbury shocked and impressed everyone in the world with a revolutionary high jump technique and won an Olympic Games gold medal in which Games?

Answer: 1968 Mexico

Dick Fosbury (born 6 March 1947) was one of the influential athletes in the world with his revolutionary "Fosbury Flop" which is now the standard technique used by all high jumpers. He won the 1968 Olympic Games gold medal with 2.24 m (7ft 4-1/4 in) at Mexico, which happened to be his personal best.

5. Bob Beamon (USA) achieved 8.9 m (29 ft 2-1/2 in) and won the gold medal in long jump at 1968 Mexico Olympics - at the same time he became the first man in history to jump over 29 ft (8.84m ). How many years did this record stand for?

Answer: 23

Mike Powell (born 10 November 1963) broke the record with a jump of 8.95 m (29 ft 4-1/2 in) 23 years later in 1991 World Athletics Championship in Tokyo. In 1968 Mexico Olympics, Bob Beamon (born 29 August 1946) broke the previous world record by a massive margin of 55 cm (22-3/4 in).

6. Which American athlete was the first man to clock under 44 second in the 400-m dash?

Answer: Lee Evans

Lee Evans (born 25 February 1947) clocked 43.86 seconds to win the gold medal at the 1968 Mexico Olympics. He held record for 20 years until Harry "Butch" Reynolds (born 8 June 1964) broke his world record in 1988 with a time of 43.29 seconds, which he held for 11 years.

In 1999, Michael Johnson (born 13 September 1967) clocked 43.18 seconds. Wayde van Niekerk (born 15 July 1992) of South Africa set a time of 43.03 seconds to win the gold medal at 2016 Rio Olympics.

7. In 100 meters sprint, who was the first woman to go under 11 second?

Answer: Renate Stecher (GDR)

Renate Stecher (n�e Mei�ner, born 12 May 1950), a former East German athlete clocked a hand timed 10.9 seconds in 1973. She won 2 gold medals at the 1972 Munich Olympics in 100m and 200m, and 1 gold medal in 4x100m relay at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.

In 1988, American Florence Griffith Joyner (21 December 1959-21 September 1998) aka Flo-Jo was the first to go under 10.5 seconds with a time of 10.49 seconds.

8. Who was the first woman to run a 200 meters dash in under 22 seconds?

Answer: Marita Koch (GDR)

In 1979, Marita Koch (born 18 February 1957), a former East German, set a time of 21.71 seconds at Karl Marx Stadt which stood as the world record for nine years. Her record was broken by American Florence Griffith Joyner who clocked 21.34 seconds to win the gold medal at 1988 Seoul Olympics.

9. In 1974, which female athlete broke the 50-second barrier for the 400 meters?

Answer: Irena Szewi�ska (POL)

Irena Szewi�ska (24 May 1946 - 29 June 2018) set a time of 49.9 seconds in Warsaw, Poland. For the last 44 years from 1974 till her death in June 2018, she was the only athlete(male and female) in the world to hold fastest times in 100m, 200m and 400m.

She won three gold medals in 4x100m relay at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, 200m at the 1968 Mexico Olympics and 400m at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.

10. Which male athlete broke the 1 minute 41 seconds barrier in 800 meters?

Answer: David Rudisha (KEN)

David Rudisha (born 17 December 1988) broke this barrier with a time of 1 minute 40.91 seconds in August 2012, in London. He won gold medals in this event in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics. Sebastian Coe (born 29 September 1956) aka Lord Coe was the first to break the 1 minute 42 seconds, with a time of 1 minute 41.73 seconds in 1981.

Source: Author sw11

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Barrier Breakers in Track & Field - Part 1 Quiz

In 1954, Roger Bannister became the first man to run a sub-four minute mile. Find out the barrier breakers in the world of track and field athletics.

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