For half a decade at the end of the 1800s and early 1900s, Arthur Duffey was considered the fastest man in the world. In 1902 he became the first person to set the world record in the 100-yard dash at 9.6 seconds (9 3/5 second at the time). He was the favorite to win the 1900 Olympic Games in the 100 meters, but did not finish in the final due to a pulled muscle. His greatest accomplishment was winning four consecutive AAA titles in England from 1900 through 1903. He also won the IC4A 100-yard title each year from 1901 through 1903 while competing for Georgetown University. Duffey ran into controversy with AAU President James Sullivan over his amateur status and Duffey’s AAU records and IC4A titles were erased. The British AAA, notoriously more strict about amateurism than the AAU, chose not to delete Duffey’s name from their list of champions. Following his competitive career, Duffey spent much of the rest of his life as a sports writer with the Boston Post. Duffey died January 25, 1955.
Records Held World Record: 100 yd. - 9.60 Championships 1900 AAA: 100 yd. 1901 AAA: 100 yd. 1901 IC4A: 100 yd. 1902 AAA: 100 yd. 1902 IC4A: 100 yd. 1903 AAA: 100 yd. 1903 IC4A: 100 yd.