On This Day, October 14, 1968, American sprinter Jim Hines became the first man to officially run the 100 meters in under 10 seconds using fully automatic timing, clocking an astonishing 9.95 seconds at the Mexico City Olympic Games.

For decades, the 10-second barrier had stood as one of athletics’ most challenging milestones. Hines shattered it on the Olympic stage, winning the gold medal and setting a world record.

But his journey to greatness was unexpected.

Known by his full name, James Ray Hines, he had played baseball during his younger years. His extraordinary running talent was spotted by track coach Jim Coleman, who encouraged him to pursue sprinting.

That discovery helped launch a remarkable athletic career.

At the Mexico City Olympics, Hines defeated Jamaica’s Lennox Miller and fellow American Charlie Greene to claim the 100-metre title. His performance made him the first athlete to break the 10-second barrier in the event with automatic timing and a legal wind reading.

And he wasn’t finished.

Hines later helped the United States win gold in the 4 × 100-meter relay, setting another world record with his teammates.

His individual 100-meter world record stood for nearly 15 years before fellow American Calvin Smith ran 9.93 seconds on July 3, 1983.

After retiring from athletics, Hines pursued professional American football, playing for the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs.

Jim Hines transformed himself from a young baseball player into an Olympic champion who changed the history of sprinting.

First of all, after several years seaching one of them in really good condition, recently I got it.

The first aspect to consider is the finish chrome plated aluminum, which is susceptible to minor dings, scratches, and oxidation. Many of these torches show signs of pitting, scratching, or some degree of oxidation, however, there are many others with the chrome plating still well-preserved.

The second and most important detail, that's I show with these pics.

The torch handle is wrapped in leather, and as I mentioned to find torches with the chrome plating in good condition is not hard, but yes the leather handle, 98% to 99% of them have leather handles that show significant wear, including scuffs, scratches, and nicks. For this reason, when assessing the condition of a Barcelona '92 torch, the leather handle is just as important to consider as the chrome plating. In fact, out of the roughly 150 to 200 torches I have seen come up for auction at prestigious auction houses and spanish platforms over the last 10 years, only two, plus the one I recently acquired, a total of 3 with a handle in really good condition.

At the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games Olympic Broadcasting Services continues to support pathways for women in roles behind the camera.

Four participants who took part in the 'Framing the Future' programme at Paris 2024, an OBS initiative designed to increase representation of women in camera operating roles, will rejoin the broadcast operation in Dakar. The experiences of Jade Lévin, Elisabeth Jolly, Elizaveta Luzina and Coline Soulier demonstrate how a single opportunity can become a foundation for professional growth in sports broadcasting.

📎 https://www.olympics.com/ioc/news/from-paris-to-dakar-how-framing-the-future-is-opening-pathways-for-women-in-sports-broadcasting