christopher morales williams

Anger after Ontario teen denied world record for fastest-ever run

Canadian sprinter Christopher Morales Williams is now the all-time fastest runner in the indoor men's 400 metres, however, his most recent performance will not be officially ratified due to a technical detail. 

The 19-year-old University of Georgia sophomore, originally from Vaughan, Ont., recently ran a record-breaking time of 44.49 seconds at the Randal Tyson Track Center on Saturday to win the NCAA Southeastern Conference indoor championships. 

However, his jaw-dropping run can't be submitted to World Athletics for record consideration, all thanks to a Starter Information System (SIS) that was not in operation at the championships. 

"For performances up to and including 400m  (including 4x200m and 4x400m) under Rule 32 of the competition rules, starting blocks linked to a World Athletics certified Start Information System under Rule 15.3 of the Technical Rules must have been used and have functioned correctly so that reaction times were obtained and are shown on the results of the event," rule 31.14.5 of the sports governing body reads. 

It's still not clear why the Starter Information System was not used during the competition. Despite this, Morales Williams continues to have a positive attitude about his commendable performance.

"It doesn't change the fact that I still ran the time," ​​​he told the University of Georgia's website.

"It's still the fastest time in the world, so it really doesn't bother me at all. It's not ratified, but it's still there. It really doesn't make too much of a difference. It doesn't bother me." 

The national sport governing body for track and field in Canada, Athletic Canada, said Morales Williams' latest record will stand as a new national best, pending national team committee confirmation. 

Lead photo by

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports


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