(Photo by Alan Versaw)
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In 2013, Gibbs senior and then recent Baylor signee Trayvon Bromell made track and field history when he became the first high school athlete to break 10 seconds in the 100m. Bromell destroyed the field at the Great Southwest Classic in a time of 9.99w, winning by 0.44s, and cracked open a barrier that has eluded the greatest sprinters of all time. Several Florida runners had been knocking on the door including Marvin Bracy's 10.05 in 2012 Jeff Demps' 10.01 in 2008, but it was Bromell who paved the way for the future of our sport.
The time was aided by a substantial tailwind of +4.0--twice the legal limit--so Jeff Demps' time of 10.01 will remain as the official standard in the record books; that mark is the national high school and junior record and tied for the world junior record. However, Trayvon Bromell will now sit at the top of the national high school "all-conditions" list.
Bromell took to social media after saying, "Can't believe I'm the first high schooler to run 9.9 in the 100 #Blessed"
Here is what he told us in a post-race interview about the race.
"Hard work and God pays off," he said, "I started off well and finished strong. It's kind of hard to run in this altitude because it's hard to breathe. So I held my breathe and run." The event was run at 5,355 feet above sea level, which can be a challenge (though more so for distance runners). After he saw the time on the clock and realized what he had just accomplished, Bromell couldn't believe it and as the emotion overtook him he said he "fell to the ground and just ripped off my head band."
Marvin Bracy, who has the third fastest all-conditions time for a Florida high schooler, and at the time had just signed a professional deal with Adidas, said back in 2013 he was watching the race and was very impressed with Bromell's technique which he called nearly perfect.
"He ran a great race. I watched it over and over. He executed and hit the proper positions with each step and that's what led to his blazing time."
Event 7 Boys 100 Meter Dash Elite
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GSWTFC: M 10.07 2005 J-Mee Samuels, Winston-Salem, NC
National Rec: N 10.01 6/26/2008 Jeff Demps, Eugene, Oregon
Name Year School Finals Wind Points
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Finals
1 Bromell, Trayvon SR Gibbs High School 9.99 4.0 10
2 Lucas, Paul SO arizona 10.43 4.0 8
3 Wells, Michael JR Team Missouri 10.47 4.0 6
4 Mead, Alexander SR Colorado 10.49 4.0 5 10.482
5 Johnson, Zach SR New Mexico 10.49 4.0 4 10.489
6 Lewis, Chris JR Louisiana 10.50 
