9.77! 100-Meter World Record Progression

ATHENS, Greece (Reuters, June 14) - Asafa Powell set a world record in the 100 meters Tuesday, clocking 9.77 seconds at the Tsiklitiria Super Grand Prix meeting.

Asafa Powell becomes the 14th man in history to hold the world record for the 100-meter dash with a 9.77 time in Athens, Greece. The Jamaican shaved one hundredth of a second off Tim Montgomery's mark of 9.78, which was set in Paris in 2002.

"I'm very happy that... I achieved this performance," Powell said. "I knew I could break the world record and I am very happy I succeeded."

100-Meter Record Progression
The progression of the men's 100-meter world record, as recognized by the IAAF:

10.6 - Donald Lippincott, U.S., 1912
10.4 - Charles Paddock, U.S., 1921
10.3 - Percy Williams, Canada, 1930
10.2 - Jesse Owens, U.S., 1936
10.1 - Willie Williams, U.S., 1956
10.0 - Armin Hary, W. Germany, 1960
9.99 - Jim Hines, U.S., 1968
9.95 - Jim Hines (electronic), 1968
9.93 - Calvin Smith, U.S., 1983
9.92 - Carl Lewis, U.S., 1988
9.90 - Leroy Burrell, U.S., 1991
9.86 - Carl Lewis, U.S., 1991
9.85 - Leroy Burrell, U.S., 1994
9.84 - Donovan Bailey, Canada, 1996
9.79 - Maurice Greene, U.S., 1999
9.78 - Tim Montgomery, U.S., 2002
9.77 - Asafa Powell, Jamaica, 2005

Source: AP