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Originally Posted by ArlJim78
just caught Bolts WR 200. I've never seen a guy so much better than the rest of the field in the short distances at the Olympics. he was only running against the clock. the only time his races were close, he was jogging while the others were all out.
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I think the progression of this record is fascinating. It is very much the opposite of the 100m record, which is shaved away by a couple of hundredths of seconds every 2-3 years. The 200m world record of 19.72 was set in 1979 and stood for 17 years, until MJ ran 19.66 and ultimately 19.32 in 1996. Then, for the next 12 years (1996 - 2008) 200 meter runners at the elite level ran in the area of 19.7 - 20.0 at World Championships and Olympic Games, but never close to 19.3, until now. It shows how above and beyond MJ and Bolt are from their competition; If it wasn't for those two, the world record would have essentially remain unchanged since 1979.