SUB NINE-SECOND 100m ‘IS POSSIBLE’

A SPRINTER wearing super shoes could run the 100metres in below nine seconds, according to one of the world’s foremost biomechanics experts.

Benno Nigg ran an experiment with top athletes in running shoes containing a stiff plate in the late Nineties. The University of Calgary professor found that performances improved by 1.3 per cent. His former PhD student Matthew Nurse then developed the technology in a role with Nike to produce the modern shoes. Nigg

thinks we might only have seen the start of what is possible if technology is allowed to develop unhindered by the rules. Asked if a sub nine-second 100m was realistic, Nigg said: ‘It seems impossible, but I wouldn’t say it is, although I think the big differences in the next 20 to 30 years will be primarily in the female performances because they were under-involved in the whole thing. In the studies that were done, they were made with men.’

The Nike road shoes and track spikes both contain stiff plates in the sole, though its position depends on the distance being covered.

Stiff plate – often made of carbon – increases energy efficiency Ultra-light springy foam also conserves energy