110 M. High Hurdles
- Jack Chatelain 15.0
- Brant Haupt 15.4
- B. Landanger 16.3
- Beau Dyer 17.9
- Zach Waller 18.5
- Jacob Lundgren 18.8
- Joey Green 19.0
History of the 110 M. High Hurdles
Event Depth Chart . . .
110 M. High Hurdles
This modern event first appeared in England around 1830 as a variation of
the 100 yards using heavy wooden barriers. In 1864, Oxford and Cambridge
turned it into a 120 yards (109.72m) race with 10 obstacles three feet six
inches (1.06m) high, ten yards (9.14m) apart, with the first and last obstacles
15 yards from the start and finish respectively.
In 1888, the French added 28 cm to the distance, to make it the 110m hurdles.
It has remained an Olympic classic (in 1896 it was run with only nine hurdles).
Early hurdling technique was very rudimentary with athletes making 'bundled'
jumps by tucking their legs under their bodies.
In 1895, the fixed hurdles were replaced with lighter structures with an
inverted T-shaped base, allowing them to be knocked over forwards. Athletes
were disqualified if they knocked over more than three hurdles and records
were disallowed if one hurdle was knocked over. This rule was retained until
1935.
The first great hurdler was Alvin Kraenzlein (USA), who created a new technique
by striding over the hurdles and taking three steps between barriers. This
style was further refined in 1920 by the Canadian Earl Thomson who became
the first hurdler under 15 seconds.
The L-shaped hurdle was introduced in 1935, using an eight pound (3.63 kg)
counterbalance which allowed the hurdle to fall over with pressure so eliminating
the risk of injury. The introduction of synthetic tracks in the late 1960s
has helped hurdlers rebound faster off the track.