German sprinter runs 9.51 seconds, discovers clock was broken

Those in attendance at the Puma Fast Arms, Fast Legs track meet on Wednesday in Wetzlar, Germany, were in shock when German sprinter Milo Skupin-Alfa stopped the clock at 9.51 seconds in heat two of the 100m qualifying round. The timing clock showed Skupin-Alfa ran the fastest 100m time in history, but moments later it was discovered to be broken.

Germany is well known for its fast tracks–it’s where the great Usain Bolt set his 100m world record of 9.58 seconds at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin. But Skupin-Alfa will have to go back to the drawing board to run 9.51 seconds.

The time would have been a massive result for the 24-year-old, Skupin-Alfa, who held a personal best of 10.23 seconds heading into the race. Meet officials managed to get the clock fixed shortly after and credited him with the heat win and a time of 10.36 seconds (+2.4 m/s).

Only one sprinter in history has, unofficially, run faster than Bolt’s world record. In 2011 on a Japanese TV show, U.S. sprinter Justin Gatlin ran 9.45 seconds for 100m with the help of several massive wind fans gusting +20.0 m/s tailwinds. The 2004 Olympic 100m champion had a large industrial fan behind his starting blocks and four wind fans strategically placed in the lanes beside him.

Even though Skupin-Alfa did not run a personal best or world record in Wetzlar, he has a promising career ahead of him.