Overview

Pushing the limits of the human race: that is what runners aspire to when they take to the Olympic 100-meter track every four years. But for Usain Bolt, the record holder for the distance with his explosive 9.58 seconds, to become the fastest sprinter in history, crossing the finish line at some 44 km/h, it took more than a century of technical refinement. From the early days of sprinting to Usain Bolt's records, directors Jean-Christophe Rosé and Benoît Heimermann trace the history of the 100 meters, the flagship event of the Olympic Games, and its champions.