Commonwealth Games: Men’s 100yds/100m
Canadian Percy Williams was an easy winner of the first Commonwealth 100 yards in 1930. He clocked 9.9 to win by three yards from England’s Ernest Page and had run a windy 9.6 in the heats.
Fast forward 40 years and Don Quarrie won the first 100m for Jamaica in 1970 in a windy 10.24 and then defended his title in 1974 with a clear win in a slow 10.38. He was much faster in 1978 as he won his third 100m gold in a windy 10.03. He finished narrowly ahead of Olympic champions future and present Allan Wells (10.07) and Hasely Crawford. Wells’ medal was incredibly the first British sprint medal for 40 years in the Commonwealths!
Wells (pictured) went one better in 1982, winning in a windy 10.02 from an up-and-coming Ben Johnson. He won gold in 1986 in 10.07, well clear of Linford Christie. The Briton was a vastly better athlete in 1990 and he won in a wind-assisted 9.93 after a legal 10.02 semi-final. As Olympic champion, Christie took another gold, winning in a legal 9.91, a metre up on Jamaican Michael Green.
Many thought a much-hyped 2002 event in Manchester might be between the two Englishmen Mark Lewis-Francis and Dwain Chambers but both had problems and ended up seventh and eighth as Kim Collins won easily in 9.98. World record-holder to be Asafa Powell went out in the semis, but in 2006 he won his biggest title to date in 10.03. The title stayed in Jamaica in 2010 as Lerone Clarke won in 10.12 with Lewis-Francis making up for eight years earlier with a silver medal in 10.20.
1930: P Williams (CAN) 9.9
1934: A Sweeney (ENG) 10.0
1938: CB Holmes (ENG) 9.7
1950: J Treloar (AUS) 9.7
1954: M Agostini (TRI) 9.6
1958: K Gardner (JAM) 9.4
1962: S Antao (KEN) 9.5
1966: H Jerome (CAN) 9.4
1970 Don Quarrie (JAM) 10.24w
1974: Don Quarrie (JAM) 10.38
1978: Don Quarrie (JAM) 10.03w
1982: Allan Wells (SCO) 10.02w
1986: Ben Johnson (CAN) 10.07
1990: Linford Christie (ENG) 9.93w
1994: Linford Christie (ENG) 9.91
1998: Ato Boldon (TRI) 9.88
2002: Kim Collins (SKN) 9.98
2006: Asafa Powell (JAM) 10.03
2010: Lerone Clarke (JAM) 10.12
Gold: Sweeney (Eng: 1934), Holmes (Eng: 1938), Wells (Sco: 1982), Christie (Eng: 1990/1994)
Silver: Ernest Page (Eng: 1930), (Wells (Sco: 1978), Christie (Eng: 1986), Mark Lewis Francis (Eng: 2010)
Bronze: Ian Young (Sco: 1934), Cameron Sharp (Sco: 1982), Mike McFarlane (Eng: 1986)
Most successful athlete: Don Quarrie: three golds (1970, 1974, 1978)
Most successful Briton: Linford Christie: two golds and one silver.
Best performances: 9.91 (1994), 9.93w (1990), 9.98 (1994sf), 10.02 (1990sf), 10.02 (1994sf)
» Find other event-by-event histories here and an overall history of the Commonwealth Games here
