Welcome to the Olympic 100-meter final, the most intimidating start line in sports
This weekend at Paris’ Stade de France, an elite group of athletes will hunch into starting blocks, their bodies stiff with tension and anticipation. It’s difficult to overlook the fact that the next ten seconds might define their lives and careers.
The Olympic 100-meter finals for men and women are one of the most watched sporting events worldwide, and they also carry a great deal of pressure on the competitors.
When all is quiet in the stadium, how do you calm down? When the biggest race of your life is going to take place in front of millions of people, how do you calm your mind?
Former British sprinter Allan Wells, who won the gold medal in the 100 meters at
the Olympics in Moscow in 1980,
Wells continued, “You go through it thousands of times in your head—the start, the gun going off.” I believe it’s anxiety over what will occur because you need to start off strong and begin running as soon as possible.
Naturally, professional sprinters are used to competing in situations like this. They have spent countless hours honing the skill of coming off the starting block with their elbows driving and their thighs pumping.
