The runner with magical legs and clumsy hands
The American was the first person to fall below the legendary sound barrier for 10 seconds at a height of 100 meters. He was forced to take a failed turn in his life.
“No one can believe a man can run so fast”: Jim Haynes was strong on the track – and he didn’t fall on his lips.
Photo: Howard Erker (Getty Images)
Jim Haynes ushered the sprint into the history books in an extraordinary way: It was the evening before the 100-meter final at the 1968 Olympics. The favorite was sipping a bottle of champagne with Mrs. Joyce in their hotel room, followed by an hour sweetheart. At least this human flash, officially named James Ray Haynes, later claimed to have prepared itself for this historical moment.
Because on October 14, the 22-year-old American broke through in 9.95 seconds. The wind pushed it very slightly at a speed of 0.3m/s, plus an altitude of 2247m in Mexico City and a photo-perfect start. Hines became the first person to electronically break the sound barrier by 10.00 seconds in the 100 metres.
Go down in the history books: Jim Haynes’ 9.95 seconds (279) at the 1968 Games.
Photo: Getty Images
That was the year Martin Luther King and then Robert Kennedy were assassinated in the United States. States were marked by racial unrest, and games in the neighboring country as well by the legendary black power fist gesture by teammates Tommy Smith and John Carlos, first and third over 200 metres.
Cheeky statement after winning
Haynes focused on his sport. Discovered as a teenager playing baseball, it soon became clear: someone had an extraordinary talent in the higher discipline of athletics. With a height of 1.83 meters and a weight of 81 kilograms, the ninth of twelve children in a family from Oakland (California) was one of the lightest athletes. This was followed by the era of muscle-bound steroid runners, without wanting to say that in Heinz’s time people only worked with water and bread.
To the amazement of the 84,000 spectators in the stadium, he lit up 9.89 seconds when he shot Haynes over the finish line in Mexico. He later claimed boldly (and without any foundation): “If they correct my time, it is because no one can believe a man can run so fast.” Haynes doubles with the following season. And if you look closely, you can already see the colorful marketing of the time: Adidas Hines kangaroo leather spikes shimmer with gold. It was later auctioned off for approximately $30,000.
Made of kangaroo leather, the standard shoe from Adidas or Hines.
Source: SCP Auctions
In general, money: as an amateur, which Heinz was officially, according to the rules of the World Association of Athletics Federations, he was not allowed to earn money from his sport. But Blitz had a wife and a young son to feed. So, at the peak of his running career, he signed as a pass receiver with the Miami Dolphins professional football team.
However, he was as charming as he could spin through the athletics tracks, only his arms were less noticeable. Hines spent the first season in 1968 constantly practicing, then played briefly and quickly gained a reputation as one of the most inept receivers. Alias: “Sorry.” In 1970, the Dolphins traded him to the Kansas City Chiefs, where he also went down with fast legs and clumsy hands.
His soccer career ended at age 24, but his return to track and field also proved unsuccessful – after all, his world record stood for 15 years until compatriot Calvin Smith improved it to 9.93 in 1983. Jim Hines later made his money as a social worker in Houston , among others, and only made headlines in the world of athletics when he claimed that at his best he was the equal of Usain Bolt.
On the weekend, 76-year-old James Ray Haynes slept with his medals: Not long after he got home from the Mexico Games, he realized his gold medals had been stolen (along with his wife’s jewelry and TV). Advertise in a local newspaper and request the return of the medals. He actually got it back in a brown envelope.
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