Illustration for the question “Which athlete became the first man to run the 110 metres hurdles in under 13 seconds in 1981?”

Sport

Which athlete became the first man to run the 110 metres hurdles in under 13 seconds in 1981?

Correct answer Renaldo Nehemiah

Fact

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Renaldo Nehemiah ran the 110 metres hurdles in 12.93 seconds at Zurich’s Weltklasse meeting on 19 August 1981. Already the world record-holder at exactly 13 seconds, the American became the first man officially below that threshold despite a slight headwind measured at −0.2 metres per second. His career then took an unusual turn when he joined the San Francisco 49ers as a professional American football player. Nehemiah later returned to athletics, but his historic sub-13 performance remains one of sprint hurdling’s defining milestones.

Content last updated · August 23, 2026

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