The 100 Meter World Record: The Impossible Mystery Of Florence Griffith Joyner

The fastest race of all time may forever live in doubt.

Thanks to @LEMMiNO for the amazing music. Here's his links:

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Articles and research studies used in video:

Nicholas Linthorne's 1995 Study on the women's 100 world record:

Nicholas Linthorne's 1994 Study on wind in the 100 Meters:

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[Ken-ypdg]

If you run the race in slow-mo, you can see Flo Jo actually rode a motorcycle half the race.

[davidwright]

The importance of the testing change wasn’t that it became random (that was already happening) it was that athletes could be tested out of competition for the first time for US athletes. Steroids, growth hormone and to some extent EPO are training drugs. They don’t provide any real in competition advantage. What they do do is provide a stronger training response to training inputs leading to greater improvement for a given level of training effort and allow the body to sustain greater training effort without injury.

If you are going to catch people using such drugs you have to test out of competition during the training period. All of Flo-Joe’s test were during competition when she will have had a month or so free of drugs to wash them out of her system. She retired exactly when that pattern was no longer viable.

[ted]

She came from nowhere, I can understand the suspicions. Improved her 100m by 0.5 seconds in the sane season. Her sudden retirement, a year before mandatory testing and untimely death further casts a shadow over her accomplishments

[richardrockie]

I never seen the strides that she ran with duplicated. She flew, knees high and extended, beautiful !

[remvanderzee]

They had all the same wind and she was still the one "flying" Look at her perfect technique! that is so awesome!

[dima.]

2 plausible reasons on why she didn't run again are 1) her seizures, (according to the family attorney) a major one happening in 1990, with treatment in '93-'94 and 2) pregnancy and subsequent birth in 1990.

[sharkwave]

FINALLY someone talks about the next race also having a 0.0 m/s wind reading. That detail basically proves the anemometer was broken but literally no one ever mentioned that. Easily the best video on this subject

[USMColdies]

To date the best documented TRP video and best compilation of race angles for that wr. Flo was the most technically sound runner ever, man or woman. Her technique made her look like she was gliding, it was effortless. Her foot strike, stride length, knee lift, block positioning- perfection. I will be studying this video for quite some time. Well done TRP

[maverlk]

Her ‘opportune’ retirement put the final seal on it for me! Brilliant runner, but juiced up to the gills.

[David_]

I never knew about the following race also being 0.0m/s !
The chance of that is unbelievable

[somewhat.random]

Honestly, I think the women's 400m record of Marita Koch is more worthy of skepticism. The use of anabolic steroids in East Germany was endemic and programmatic during the time she set the record. At the Reunification of Germany in 1990 the records held by the East German Secret Police (Stasi) were turned over to West German authorities. Those records included dosages and the athletes who were given them. Those records included Marita Koch and the doses of steroids she was given. Several East German athletes have come forward and voluntarily asked their records be removed. Koch has not. She also never tested positive.

[BruceLeroyUK]

This is the first video I have watched on this channel. A very well made documentary on Flo-Jo. Subscribed.

[Attila_Beregi]

to me it's really interesting that men's records on 100, 200, 400 and 800 have been improving still (the latest being 2016) but yet the women's records are all from the 80s.

[woopimagpie]

If we take an average of the wind readings from prior and subsequent events it gets us to around 3.5 m/s. Has anyone calculated what difference it would make? If we were able to somehow deduct time for the wind assistance, what time does she set? I'm guessing she's still in the 10.5 range somewhere, arguably still fast enough to hold the record. The fact she ran 10:54 in Seoul backs this up. It took Elaine Thompson until 2021 to equal that time, with vastly improved shoes, track surfaces, and computerised training models, and she has only dipped into the 10.5s once in her entire career. The girls from the GDR and USSR were drugged to the eyeballs in 1988 and could only manage high 10.7s. Despite everything, you have to agree Flo-Jo was special. That girl could RUN.

[actionimagesphotography]

Very good video. You made some good points but all I can see is her stellar running movement! It was flawless!

[pabloruedaarzoz]

After many years, you finally fully adressed this situation, and made an impressive 29 minute docummentary about it. Hats off, thanks for taking the time and effort to produce this video, and thanks for providing a wide audience with tons of information about this subject

[barrywilson]

My grandfather always told me to live my life as I see fit because you can't please everyone.
Just make sure that you don't purposely displease anyone unless absolutely necessary.
They will say and think of you whatever they wish, as it is beyond your control.
I watched this entire video and read a great number of comments and they are fairly even.
Sadly it's about a woman who's deceased and yet the opinions wouldn't change if she were here to dispute or embrace them.
Rest in peace Florence Griffith Joyner ❤️🙏🏾

[billymania]

Nobody will ever be able to prove anything about Flo Jo one way or the other. What we do have is video showing her just gliding down the track with a serene expression on her face that turns into a smile at the end. Just beautiful.

[capstone]

Well researched. Looking at the race with simplicity, Flo Jo's high knees running style was more efficient than the other runners. I see it in Sha'carri Richardson. Their feet barely touch the ground.

[deancartwright]

I'm just a plain old guy and I picked up on your comment about her retiring from competition soon after her she peaked. As I seem to remember, she started having children and raising them. No side implication needed here.