Lists of The Fastest White Men in History, Non-African Descent
>> July 21, 2011
Hard work, motivation, dedication, discipline, best nutrition, good regeneration, great coaching, among others are the keys to success in sports. However, when it comes to sprinting (i.e. 100m) you probably require a 'special endowment' (e.g. genetic) in order to run faster than most people. The fastest sprinters have a high abundance of fast-twitch fibers in their legs, and this may be the case for the Black / African descent (more correctly west African) sprinters to explain their superiority in sprints - they may tend to have more or larger proportion of fast-twitch fibers within muscles. Scientific studies have shown that fast twitch fibers contract two to three times faster than slow twitch fibers. Good genes coupled with the aforementioned keys may provide an added advantage to one sprinter over the others.
Based on the world statistics, about 80 sprinters from the African descent (black sprinters) have legally or officially broken the 10s barrier in the 100m. What about sprinters from other descents? we will find out. If all other things being equal (the listed keys), what would determine fast sprinting? at the end of a spectrum, genetics could be a crucial factor that explains the success? But we don't discuss the details here, we rather straightaway jump into our topic.
Here are lists of the top, the best, and the fastest sprinters from the non-African descent:
Lists of sprinters from non-African descent or white men
1, Patrick Johnson (AUS) ........ 9.93s +1.8 May 05, 2003 (Irish + Indigenous Australian);
Widely regarded as the fastest man from non-African descent. He clocked an impressive time of 9.93s at the age of 31 at Mito, Japan in 2003. This feat made him the 17th fastest man in history at the time. He has also run a wind-aided 9.88w +3.6 on February 08, 2003, in Perth. His father is a white man of Ireland while his mother is (however) a black non-African of Australia (aborigine).
2, Christophe Lemaitre (FRA) ................... 9.98s +1.3 July 09, 2010 (Caucasian);
Lemaitre, a Frenchman, is finally and widely the one who has been regarded as the first white man to legally break the 10s barrier. He did it when he clocked 9.98s during the French nationals in 2010, at the age of 20. Since then, he showed consistency in sub-10s performance. He ran twice 9.95s this year which is his best time to date.
3, Marion Woronin (POL) .............10.00s +2.0 June 09, 1984 (Caucasian);
Based on the reported "actual time", 9.992s, Woronin would have been the first to run the 100m in less than 10.00s. However, based on the IAAF rules, a fully auto time must be rounded up to the nearest 1/100ths and not 1/1000ths as seen in the F1 car racing, which would give him a sub-10. Therefore a 9.992s is officially a 10.00s.
3, Koji Ito (JPN) ........................10.00s +1.9 December 13, 1998 (Japanese);
He set a 10-flat during the semifinals of the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok where he won 3 gold medals (100m, 200m 20.16s, 4x100m). His time could have been faster if he did not "shut down" 5-m before the line in his SF race to (perhaps) "save" his energy for the finals. Not all the times you would hit your best in sprinting.
5, Pietro Mannea (ITA) ....................10.01A +0.9 September 04, 1979 (Italian);
He has recorded a lifetime best of 10.01A during the World University Games at Ciudad de Mexico in 1979. He later set a 200m world record with a time of 19.72A that was only (eventually) broken in 1996. He became the Olympic champion at 200m in the 1980 Olympics.
6, Nobuharu Asahara (JPN) ............ 10.02s +2.0 July 13, 2001 (Japanese);
One of the best Asian sprinters who had switched to 100m from long jump. He clocked 10.02s in Oslo (NOR) during the 2001 season in a race with a maximum allowable tailwinds +2.0. He took part in several World Championships and Olympic Games. He set three Japanese records in the 100m, 10.19s in 1993, 10.14s in 1996 and 10.08s in 1997.
7, Matthew Shivington (AUS) .......... 10.03s -0.1 Sept 17, 1998 (Australian);
At age of 19 (turning 20), he entered the finals of the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur (sea level) and set a NR of 10.03s despite running into a slight headwind -0.1 m/s. Given a moderate wind of 1.0m/s, he would have run 9.98s or 9.93s for a 2.0m/s wind. Very unfortunate!
7, Shingo Suetsugo (JPN) .................10.03s +1.8 May 05, 2003 (Japanese);
A Japanese sprinter who has won the World Championship bronze at the 200m in 2003, he clocked 20.37s). He ran 10.03s in an international race at Mito in 2003 in a race along with Patrick Johnson. In this race, he was leading to 70m mark but Johnson had a better top-end speed to win the race (see above).
7, Nicholas Macrozonaris (CAN) .....10.03A 0.0 May 03, 2003 (Caucasian);
He ran 10.03s without the assistance of wind but it was set at Ciudad de Mexico (2003) which is located at about 2,240m above the sea level. The high altitude location gave him an advantage from "lower air resistant".
10, Frank Emmelmann (GER) ................ 10.06s +1.9 September 22, 1985 (German);
He won the German Nationals eight times (100m, 200m). Emmelmann set 10.06s at Berlin in 1986.
10, Johan Rossouw (RSA) ...................... 10.06A +2.0 April 23, 1988 (South African - white);
Rossow set 10.06s at altitude in Johannesburg in a race aided by the most favorable tailwinds of +2.0.
10, Simone Collio (ITA) ....................... 10.06s +1.2 July 21, 2009 (Italian);
He clocked 10.06s at Rieti in 2009. Second fastest in Italian all-time rankings, after Pietro Mannea's 10.01A.
13, Valeriy Borzov (URS) ..................... 10.07s 0.0 August 31, 1972 (Ukrainian);
He ran 10.07s during the quarterfinals of the 1972 Olympics in Munich. He later became the Olympic champion at 100m and 200m.
13, Masashi Eruguchi (JPN) .................. 10.07s +1.9 June 28, 2009 (Japanese);
He set 10.07s in Hiroshima in 2009 at the age of 21. He is most likely "to be known" during the 2012 season or Olympics in London.
15, Vitaliy Savin (KAZ) ......................... 10.08s +1.3 August 13, 1992 (Kazakhstani);
He was born in Kazakhstan, competed and won the gold medal at the Olympics (4x100m - 1988) for the Soviet Union. His lifetime best at 100m is 10.08s he set at Linz in 1992.
15, Geir Moen (NOR) ............................ 10.08s +0.6 August 16, 1996 (Norwegian);
He is a 200m finalist of 1995 World indoor & outdoor championships. His lifetime best of 100m is 10.08s set in Kristiansand in 1996.
15, Roland Nemeth (HUN) .................... 10.08s +1.0 June 09, 1999 (Hungarian);
He eclipsed the national 100m record held by the Hungarian sprint legend, Attila Kovacs by one hundred of a second at Budapest in 1999.
15, Joshua Ross (AUS) ............ 10.08s +1.9 March 10, 2007 (Indigenous Australian);
He is a five-time Australian champion in the 100m. Has recorded 10.08s at Brisbane in 2007 - the 3rd fastest in Australia.
19, Attila Kovacs (HUN) ....................... 10.09s +0.3 August 20, 1987 (Hungarian);
A 15-time Hungarian champion at the 100m and 200m. He was one of the best sprinters in the World back in the 1980's. He set 10.09s during the Hungarian nationals at Miskolc in 1987. He was 4th (100m) in the 1987 World championships - the highest achievement by a white sprinter in the history of World Championships (men's 100m).
19, Sergiy Osovych (UKR) .................... 10.09s +1.2 June 07, 1996 (Austrian);
He was born in Austria but competed for Ukraine after being granted the Ukranian citizenship. He ran 10.09s at Kyiv, Ukraine in 1996. He became the European Indoor champion at 200m in 1998.
19, Christie Van Wyk (NAM) ................ 10.09s +2.0 May 20, 2004 (Namibian);
He is the non-arguable fastest white man of Namibia with a personal best time of 10.09s he set at Abilene, USA. His non-legal best is 10.06s +2.8. Note: I could NOT include Frank Fredericks on these lists.
19, Naoki Tsukahara (JPN) .................... 10.09s +1.8 June 27, 2009 (Japanese);
In 2009, he became the 5th Japanese to run below 10.10s with a 10.09s clocking in Hiroshima.
Lists of sprinters with "unknown descent"
Troy Douglas (NET)B.............................. 10.09s August 04, 2001
Carlo Boccarini (ITA) ............................. 10.08s +0.7 May 09, 1998 (Rieti, ITA)
Aziz Ouhadi (MOR) ................................ 10.09s +0.8 May 28, 2011 (Dakar, MOR)
Based on the world statistics, about 80 sprinters from the African descent (black sprinters) have legally or officially broken the 10s barrier in the 100m. What about sprinters from other descents? we will find out. If all other things being equal (the listed keys), what would determine fast sprinting? at the end of a spectrum, genetics could be a crucial factor that explains the success? But we don't discuss the details here, we rather straightaway jump into our topic.
Here are lists of the top, the best, and the fastest sprinters from the non-African descent:
Lists of sprinters from non-African descent or white men
1, Patrick Johnson (AUS) ........ 9.93s +1.8 May 05, 2003 (Irish + Indigenous Australian);
Widely regarded as the fastest man from non-African descent. He clocked an impressive time of 9.93s at the age of 31 at Mito, Japan in 2003. This feat made him the 17th fastest man in history at the time. He has also run a wind-aided 9.88w +3.6 on February 08, 2003, in Perth. His father is a white man of Ireland while his mother is (however) a black non-African of Australia (aborigine).2, Christophe Lemaitre (FRA) ................... 9.98s +1.3 July 09, 2010 (Caucasian);
Lemaitre, a Frenchman, is finally and widely the one who has been regarded as the first white man to legally break the 10s barrier. He did it when he clocked 9.98s during the French nationals in 2010, at the age of 20. Since then, he showed consistency in sub-10s performance. He ran twice 9.95s this year which is his best time to date.3, Marion Woronin (POL) .............10.00s +2.0 June 09, 1984 (Caucasian);
Based on the reported "actual time", 9.992s, Woronin would have been the first to run the 100m in less than 10.00s. However, based on the IAAF rules, a fully auto time must be rounded up to the nearest 1/100ths and not 1/1000ths as seen in the F1 car racing, which would give him a sub-10. Therefore a 9.992s is officially a 10.00s.3, Koji Ito (JPN) ........................10.00s +1.9 December 13, 1998 (Japanese);
He set a 10-flat during the semifinals of the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok where he won 3 gold medals (100m, 200m 20.16s, 4x100m). His time could have been faster if he did not "shut down" 5-m before the line in his SF race to (perhaps) "save" his energy for the finals. Not all the times you would hit your best in sprinting.5, Pietro Mannea (ITA) ....................10.01A +0.9 September 04, 1979 (Italian);
He has recorded a lifetime best of 10.01A during the World University Games at Ciudad de Mexico in 1979. He later set a 200m world record with a time of 19.72A that was only (eventually) broken in 1996. He became the Olympic champion at 200m in the 1980 Olympics.6, Nobuharu Asahara (JPN) ............ 10.02s +2.0 July 13, 2001 (Japanese);
One of the best Asian sprinters who had switched to 100m from long jump. He clocked 10.02s in Oslo (NOR) during the 2001 season in a race with a maximum allowable tailwinds +2.0. He took part in several World Championships and Olympic Games. He set three Japanese records in the 100m, 10.19s in 1993, 10.14s in 1996 and 10.08s in 1997.7, Matthew Shivington (AUS) .......... 10.03s -0.1 Sept 17, 1998 (Australian);
At age of 19 (turning 20), he entered the finals of the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur (sea level) and set a NR of 10.03s despite running into a slight headwind -0.1 m/s. Given a moderate wind of 1.0m/s, he would have run 9.98s or 9.93s for a 2.0m/s wind. Very unfortunate!7, Shingo Suetsugo (JPN) .................10.03s +1.8 May 05, 2003 (Japanese);
A Japanese sprinter who has won the World Championship bronze at the 200m in 2003, he clocked 20.37s). He ran 10.03s in an international race at Mito in 2003 in a race along with Patrick Johnson. In this race, he was leading to 70m mark but Johnson had a better top-end speed to win the race (see above).7, Nicholas Macrozonaris (CAN) .....10.03A 0.0 May 03, 2003 (Caucasian);
He ran 10.03s without the assistance of wind but it was set at Ciudad de Mexico (2003) which is located at about 2,240m above the sea level. The high altitude location gave him an advantage from "lower air resistant".10, Frank Emmelmann (GER) ................ 10.06s +1.9 September 22, 1985 (German);
He won the German Nationals eight times (100m, 200m). Emmelmann set 10.06s at Berlin in 1986.
10, Johan Rossouw (RSA) ...................... 10.06A +2.0 April 23, 1988 (South African - white);
Rossow set 10.06s at altitude in Johannesburg in a race aided by the most favorable tailwinds of +2.0.
10, Simone Collio (ITA) ....................... 10.06s +1.2 July 21, 2009 (Italian);
He clocked 10.06s at Rieti in 2009. Second fastest in Italian all-time rankings, after Pietro Mannea's 10.01A.
13, Valeriy Borzov (URS) ..................... 10.07s 0.0 August 31, 1972 (Ukrainian);
He ran 10.07s during the quarterfinals of the 1972 Olympics in Munich. He later became the Olympic champion at 100m and 200m.
13, Masashi Eruguchi (JPN) .................. 10.07s +1.9 June 28, 2009 (Japanese);
He set 10.07s in Hiroshima in 2009 at the age of 21. He is most likely "to be known" during the 2012 season or Olympics in London.
15, Vitaliy Savin (KAZ) ......................... 10.08s +1.3 August 13, 1992 (Kazakhstani);
He was born in Kazakhstan, competed and won the gold medal at the Olympics (4x100m - 1988) for the Soviet Union. His lifetime best at 100m is 10.08s he set at Linz in 1992.
15, Geir Moen (NOR) ............................ 10.08s +0.6 August 16, 1996 (Norwegian);
He is a 200m finalist of 1995 World indoor & outdoor championships. His lifetime best of 100m is 10.08s set in Kristiansand in 1996.
15, Roland Nemeth (HUN) .................... 10.08s +1.0 June 09, 1999 (Hungarian);
He eclipsed the national 100m record held by the Hungarian sprint legend, Attila Kovacs by one hundred of a second at Budapest in 1999.
15, Joshua Ross (AUS) ............ 10.08s +1.9 March 10, 2007 (Indigenous Australian);
He is a five-time Australian champion in the 100m. Has recorded 10.08s at Brisbane in 2007 - the 3rd fastest in Australia.
19, Attila Kovacs (HUN) ....................... 10.09s +0.3 August 20, 1987 (Hungarian);
A 15-time Hungarian champion at the 100m and 200m. He was one of the best sprinters in the World back in the 1980's. He set 10.09s during the Hungarian nationals at Miskolc in 1987. He was 4th (100m) in the 1987 World championships - the highest achievement by a white sprinter in the history of World Championships (men's 100m).
19, Sergiy Osovych (UKR) .................... 10.09s +1.2 June 07, 1996 (Austrian);
He was born in Austria but competed for Ukraine after being granted the Ukranian citizenship. He ran 10.09s at Kyiv, Ukraine in 1996. He became the European Indoor champion at 200m in 1998.
19, Christie Van Wyk (NAM) ................ 10.09s +2.0 May 20, 2004 (Namibian);
He is the non-arguable fastest white man of Namibia with a personal best time of 10.09s he set at Abilene, USA. His non-legal best is 10.06s +2.8. Note: I could NOT include Frank Fredericks on these lists.
19, Naoki Tsukahara (JPN) .................... 10.09s +1.8 June 27, 2009 (Japanese);
In 2009, he became the 5th Japanese to run below 10.10s with a 10.09s clocking in Hiroshima.
Lists of sprinters with "unknown descent"
Troy Douglas (NET)B.............................. 10.09s August 04, 2001
Carlo Boccarini (ITA) ............................. 10.08s +0.7 May 09, 1998 (Rieti, ITA)
Aziz Ouhadi (MOR) ................................ 10.09s +0.8 May 28, 2011 (Dakar, MOR)
