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Also see: Bolt’s 200m Record

This problem is introduced because “loud guns” are still employed at the Olympics Games. These are starting guns that fire blank cartridges, creating a loud “bang” to alert athletes of the start.
Although sound travels through air very quickly, it does have a finite speed, meaning that the runners closest to the gun will hear the blast first. This becomes especially significant in races such as the 4x100m relay, where the starters are staggered around the first turn of the track. Scientists have calculated that the sound of the gun in such a race will reach the outermost runner 0.150 seconds after it reaches the innermost runner. This is a big deal in sprinting – amounting to a meter or more at the finish line. Furthermore, the sound of the gun is louder when it arrives at the closer runners’ ears. Scientists at the University of Alberta have found that a louder signal is more likely to lead to a startle response in runners, lowering their reaction time by up to 0.018 seconds.

Most modern track events now place loudspeakers behind the blocks of each runner. These loudspeakers are designed to all give a tone at precisely the same moment, and the gun that the starting official holds is actually silent, producing no sound of its own. This technique guarantees that each runner will hear the start tone at the same moment as the other runners. Although these loudspeakers are employed at the Olympics, a silent gun is not used, and researchers have found that the runners actually respond to the sound of the gun when both are available.

The effects of this phenomenon were confirmed at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Researchers at the University of Indiana found that the runners in the outside lanes were slower out of the blocks by the amount predicted by the speed of sound.

The problem could reach even further than expected, as a bad start will often affect an athlete’s entire race. Runners may tense up and perform worse after a relatively poor start.

The International Association of Athletics Federations says is is aware of this problem and is developing new standards to correct it. Yet, amazingly, it sees no need to make emergency changes before the Beijing Olympics.

U.S. Olympic Trials Men’s 800m Finals

Before this incident Tyson Gay qualified for the Olympics by winning the 100-meter finals. He is also expected to participate in the 4x100m relay if he is healthy. At this point, Gay insists that he will be ready in August, saying that he’ll “be 100 percent for the 100 and 400 relay”.

U.S. Olympic Trials Women’s 1500m Finals

Below is a video of the 1500-meter race from the Olympic Trials. Lagat, Manzano, and Lomong took the top three spots and qualified for the 1500m in Beijing.

U.S. Olympic Trials Men’s 1500m Finals

Today, July 3, the U.S. Olympic Team Trials start back up. Events will be aired throughout the entire holiday weekend. Here is the television schedule for the track and field events.

Tyson Gay (middle) checks his time

Just weeks after Usain Bolt broke the 100m world record, Tyson Gay, a 25-year-old from Kentucky, has run 100 meters even faster. Although Gay’s finishing time was 9.68 seconds (0.04 seconds faster than Bolt), he has not officially set the world record because his effort was wind aided with a tail wind of 4.1m/s. In sprinting events, any tail wind over 2.0m/s nullifies an attempt at a world record.

Gay’s time was booked today at the US Olympic Track & Field trials held in Eugene, Oregon. Previously, the record for the fastest 100 meters run under any conditions was 9.69 seconds with a 5.0 m/s push, by Obadele Thompson in 1996.

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For some consolation, Tyson Gay does officially hold the US record for the 100 meter race. He put up a legal time of 9.77 seconds just yesterday at the qualifying rounds of the US Olympic trials.

It looks like Beijing’s 100 meter finals are going to be VERY exciting.

Haile Gebrselassie

ANCIENT OLYMPIA, Greece — The Olympic marathon in Beijing won’t be tarnished by world record-holder Haile Gebrselassie’s decision to skip the event because of pollution concerns, IOC president Jacques Rogge said in an interview with the Associated Press.

“While I regret the absence of Haile Gebrselassie, I respect his decision. But the Games are far stronger than the individual. The marathon will be a great success and there will be a great champion.”

The 34-year-old Ethiopian runner, a two-time Olympic 10,000-meter champion, said earlier this month he won’t run the marathon at the Beijing Games because of the city’s air pollution, heat and humidity. He may still run in the 10,000.

“It’s going to be the hardest marathon in history,” said Gebrselassie, who holds the world record of two hours four minutes 26 seconds.

Pollution – in addition to the violence in Tibet and other human rights issues – has been a major concern for China and the International Olympic Committee in the lead up to the August Olympics. Some athletes are reportedly considering wearing masks to ward off the bad air in Beijing.

While Belgian tennis star Justine Henin has expressed concern that the pollution could aggravate her asthma, Rogge said the four-time French Open champion will definitely compete in Beijing and her “No. 1 goal” of the year is to win the gold medal.

The IOC released data last week indicating that air quality in Beijing is better than expected, but athletes in outdoor endurance events could face risks.

Rogge said the figures show there is “no danger whatsoever” for athletes competing in high-intensity events lasting under an hour, but that those involved in endurance events longer than that – such as the marathon, road cycling and triathlon – could be affected by poor air.

Rogge reiterated that if pollution levels surpass a certain threshold, those events could be postponed until the air clears. The men’s marathon is traditionally held on the final day of the Games.

“We could easily postpone for a couple of hours or start at an earlier hour. I’m not very worried about that.”