Thomas Burke won the men’s 100 metres at the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896. The American sprinter won in an officially recorded time of 12.0 seconds on a dirt track.
Burke was unusual among the competitors because he used a crouching start, a technique that was not yet common in sprinting. His start attracted attention, but it helped him accelerate effectively over the short distance. He also won the 400 metres at the same Games.
The 1896 sprint was not run on a modern synthetic track, and timing methods were less precise than those used today. For that reason, comparisons with contemporary world records are inappropriate. The event nevertheless established the Olympic 100 metres as one of the movement’s signature competitions.