Sam Blaskowski ran 9.89 seconds in the 100 meters on Saturday at the Music City Track Carnival in Cleveland, Tennessee, posting the fastest American time of 2026 and tying for the world’s second-fastest mark this season, according to results published by DyeStat.
Athletics Illustrated reported that Blaskowski lined up in lane four at Lee University’s track. He and Cameron Crump, one lane over, separated from the field inside the opening phase. After 60 meters, Blaskowski held form better than anyone around him and crossed the line with a clear gap to the rest. Crump finished second in 9.99. Brandon Hicklin took third in 10.05. All four of the top finishers were American.
The wind read +1.5 meters per second, well inside the +2.0 limit for record purposes, per the meet recap by Doug Binder of DyeStat.
A Jump No One Saw Coming
Blaskowski’s previous personal best was 10.05, set in May 2025 at Veterans Memorial Stadium in La Crosse, Wisconsin. He had never broken 10 seconds in a legal race. (He ran 9.99 in 2024 with a +5.5 wind, far over the allowable limit.) On Saturday, he skipped the entire 9.90s range in one go.
A week earlier, he had clocked 10.09 at the LA Track Fest in a near-still +0.1 wind. Robert Johnson of LetsRun.com wrote that going into Saturday, Blaskowski had not finished higher than third at any meet this season and had not bettered his college personal best across five races, three of which were held at altitude.
At UW-La Crosse, he won 11 individual NCAA Division III sprint titles: four in the 100, four in the 200, and three in the 60. He helped his team to three 4×100 relay titles and set Division III records in the 60 (6.65) and 100 (10.05). Almost no Division III athlete makes a leap to world-class 100-meter times, which is part of what made Saturday’s race so striking. The wider trend is that faster tracks and better training methods are pushing more sprinters into elite territory.
Where 9.89 Lands
Blaskowski is the fastest American of 2026 and tied for second on the world list. The time ranks 54th-fastest in 100-meter history. Usain Bolt’s 9.58 from 2009 still sits well ahead. According to alltime-athletics.com, only 299 legal performances have ever come in under 9.89.
For context, Athletics Illustrated noted, the time would have won bronze at the 2025 Tokyo World Athletics Championships, tied with Noah Lyles for third. For a broader view of how he stacks up against the all-time greats, see the list of the fastest people in the world.
The Whole Field Ran Fast
Saturday’s race produced more than one breakthrough. The first seven men across the line all set season’s bests, results published by LetsRun.com show. Zach Beard cut .18 off his previous mark, finishing fourth in 10.09. Nigeria’s Alaba Akintola cut .22, running 10.11. Melbin Marcelino of the Dominican Republic ran 10.13, down from 10.26. The next sub-10 American may already be developing on college tracks – see the recent young sprinters breaking 10 seconds.
Whether those marks repeat through the summer is its own question. For now, Blaskowski holds the world lead, and the rest of the outdoor season will show whether the 9.89 was a breakthrough or a one-off.
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