'Suspicious' World Record Considered 'Unbreakable' Has Stood For 37 Years
A world record that has been considered 'unbreakable' for over three decades remains shrouded in controversy.
Back in 1988, at the quarter-final stage of the U.S. Olympic trials, American sprinter Florence Griffith-Joyner became the first and only woman in history to record a 100m time under 10.5 seconds.
“Flo-Jo” became a global icon after reaching heights nobody believed possible. Up until that point, the previous best had been a 10.76 run by America's Evelyn Ashford in 1984.
In fact, the Los Angeles-born sprinter, who was 28 years old at the time, smashed her previous personal best (10.89) by some distance, with the record-breaking run of 10.49 coming after a three-year hiatus from the sport.
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Over the past 37 years, many have attempted to smash Griffith-Joyner's record and, although Elaine Thompson-Herah and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce have tried their best, nobody has come close to the legendary time.
So, why is the record a suspicious one? As explained in a report by Guinness World Records – which is titled "Is the women’s 100-metre world record truly unbreakable?", the wind gauge for her race in Indianapolis read ±0.0m/s.
However, at the same time, the men’s triple jump was taking place with a reported tailwind of +4.3m/s, with the legal limit being 2.0m/s. Griffith Joyner's record was ratified by the IAAF, but doubts remain.
Since 1997, the Association of Track and Field Statisticians (ATFS) has listed the time as "probably strongly wind-assisted, but recognised as a world record".
Away from the official record and Griffith Joyner continued to impress at the two-day Olympic trials, recording non-wind-assisted times of 10.70 in the semi-final and 10.61 in the final, which would have also broken Ashford's record.
“Flo-Jo” would quit athletics two months later, shortly before the introduction of out-of-competition drug testing.
Ten years later, she sadly passed away when she suffocated in her sleep following a brain seizure.
As per the BBC, her tragic early death fuelled rumours of doping. However, this has never been substantiated, and her family and friends have always denied speculation.
It must also be noted that Griffith Joyner never tested positive for any banned substances.
Eight-time Olympic medalist spoke about "wind-aided" world record
Back in 2008, Jamaica's Veronica Campbell-Brown opened up about Griffith Joyner's world record being out of reach.
"When I look at my personal best for 100m it's 10.85," then-100m world champion Campbell-Brown told the BBC. "The world record is 10.49. For me that is very difficult to break. Rumour has it that (the world record) could have been wind-aided.
"The people in authority have the power to look at it. It's been 20 years now and the closest anybody has come to it is 10.7. So it's very difficult and I know a lot of people would like to see women break world records like the men do."
Jack Kenmare