The 100 metre world record has been broken by Justin Gatlin. Gatlin overcame the mark of Asafa Powell (9.77) which stood for 11 months. See here for the progression of the 100 metre men’s world record.

I was reading an article a few years ago which wondered how much the world record can be broken. For example, we know that no human can ever run down 100 metres in say 7 seconds. Where is the end to the 100 metre world record, if at all?

The amazing thing is that the world record keeps getting broken. Sport teaches us to think positive, aim big and keep growing. World records are milestones which speak about these charecterstics of sport itself.

Justin Gatlin is very young at 24. He has already accomplished a lot, as Gatlin says:

I am the best of the best because I am the Olympic champion, the world champion and now the world record holder..

Asafa Powell, whose record Gatlin broke, is just 23. These two athletes promise a lot. Few others may join in the party in the near future.

Excitement and drama will always chase the 100 metres. This, after all, is the world stage.

Update: Powell says that record is only on loan. Interesting!

After a horrible Ashes where the Aussie team saw ghosts and Jason Gillespie became a ghost of a name where the Australian squad was concerned, Jason Gillespie is back. Not only with wickets, but with runs too! The century from Gillespie proves (once again) that any thing is possible in cricket.

Gillespie did not have a great Pura Cup with the bat making 135 runs at an average of 13.50 with a highest of 33. [Stats attained with the aid of Neil.] However, the defense of Gillespie is underestimated. A solid blocker, Gillespie can stick at the wicket for long periods. His stats for staying at the wicket was a little more than 52 before this test match and is bound to improve as he has already faced 300 balls in the current inning.

Osman Saimuddin writes over at Cricinfo:

… For the purposes of records only should he be called a nightwatchman as he became only the third one to score a Test hundred, but he is much more than that; his Chennai rearguard, fifties against Pakistan and New Zealand over the last year say as much.

But a Test hundred? That surely confirms his as one of the best tailenders, in fact, a tailender who actually isn’t. Lest this seem sarcastic, note the credentials please. Including this hundred, he averages 24.65 from his last 16 Tests with two fifties as well, and if he wishes, he can run those by prodigious Michael `Pup’ Clarke, who averages 25.09, with two fifties and no hundreds from the same.

For the statistically minded, this is the highest score by a night watchman in test cricket history. Tony Mann’s almost 30 year record has been broken.

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In the Commonwealth Games trials, Jones bettered her 200 metre breast stroke mark a few months ago. This time she breaks her mark in the 100 metre breast stroke at the Commonwealth Games. CNN reports:

Jones set the first world record of the Games, shattering her previous mark by 0.62 seconds in the 100m breaststroke to clock one minute 05.09 seconds.

Who said breaking records and setting new standards was difficult?

Canadian Duff Gibson created history when he became the oldest individual gold medalist at the Winter Olympics at the age of 39 (Men’s skeleton title). He broke the record of Magnar Solberg who was 35 when he won his last gold. The oldest athlete to win it in a team event remains, as CNN reports:

The oldest Winter champion for any event is Jay O’Brien, who was 48 when he won four-man bobsleigh gold for the United States at the 1932 Games in Lake Placid.

At the summer games, Oscar Swahn was the part of the Running Deer shooting team at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics which won gold. . He was 64-years and 258-days old. Incidentally he is also the oldest olympian. As the official Olympic site reports:

After World War I, Swahn returned to the Olympics -at the age of 72. He won a silver medal in the running deer double-shot team event and also competed in the individual and team single-shot contests.

Steve Fossett has broken the record set by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager for the longest non-stop continuous flight despite power failure by flying 26,389.3 miles.

As BBC reports:

Generator failure as he descended to Kent prompted him to make a mayday call and divert to Bournemouth. On landing with limited visibility, two tyres burst, but Fossett was unhurt. He had planned to end his journey at Kent International Airport… He eclipsed the distance record set by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, who logged 40,212km (24,987 miles) during a non-stop, non-refuelled trip around the globe in their Voyager aircraft in 1986.

BBC further informs that Fossett already has 109 records to his name! Adventurers like these who stretch boundaries have to be admired, appreciated and reverred.

Bravo Fossett!

Steve Fossett is attempting the world’s longest flight - 26,000 miles. Keep track of it here. BBC talks about the initial phase of the adventure and the records Fossett can break in the process.

Kajsa Bergqvist, two time world champion, broke the 14 year old world record of Heike Henkel by jumping 2.08 metres. Henkel was there in the crowd to see it as well!

The Aussie swimmer improves on her own world record becoming the third world record in the Australian Commonwealth Games trials.

Reports CNN:

Jones recorded a time of two minutes 20.54 seconds, fully 1.18 seconds faster than her previous record set at the 2005 world championships in Montreal, Canada. Libby Lenton set a women’s 100 meters freestyle world record of 53.42 seconds on Tuesday, wiping 0.10 seconds off the previous world record set by compatriot Jodie Henry at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Jade Edmistone lowered her 50m breaststroke world record to 30.31 seconds in Monday’s heats.