The worst pressure ever: Welcome to the Olympic 100-meter final, the most intimidating start line in sports

When an elite group of athletes crouch into starting blocks at Paris’ Stade de France this weekend, their bodies tense with adrenaline and anticipation, it’s hard to ignore that the next 10 seconds could define their lives and careers.

When an elite group of athletes crouch into starting blocks at Paris’ Stade de France this weekend, their bodies tense with adrenaline and anticipation, it’s hard to ignore that the next 10 seconds could define their lives and careers. Few sporting events command the attention of the world like the men’s and women’s Olympic 100-meter finals, and few place such an intense weight of expectation on an athlete. How do you silence your nerves when a hush descends on the stadium? How do you quieten the mind when an audience of millions is about to watch the biggest race of your life? “I think it was the worst pressure you could ever be put under,” British former sprinter Allan Wells, who won 100m gold at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, told CNN Sport. “You run through it in your head thousands of times – the start, the gun going off,” Wells added. “I think it’s the apprehension of what’s going to happen – you’ve got to get a good start … you’ve got to get into your running as quickly as possible.” Professional sprinters, of course, are accustomed to performing in this kind of environment. The art of exiting a starting block, thighs pumping and elbows driving, is one to which they have devoted many hours of painstaking practice.