200 metres for record purposes. 200 metres The 200 metres (also spelled 200 meters) is a sprint running event. On an outdoor race 400 m track, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques are needed to successfully run the race. A slightly shorter race, called the "stadion" and run on a straight track, was the first recorded event at the ancient Olympic Games. The 200 m places more emphasis on speed endurance than shorter sprint distances as athletes rely on different energy systems during the longer sprint. In the United States and
All-weather running track today. In the mid-1960s Tartan tracks, surfaced with a product by 3M. The name "Tartan" is a trademark, but many have misused it as a genericized trademark. This process was the first to commercialize a polyurethane surface for running tracks, though originally conceived for horse racing. Many Tartan tracks were installed worldwide, including at many of the top Universities in the United States. Among that list was a Tartan track installed in the Estadio Olímpico Universitario, home of the 1968 Summer Olympics at Mexico City, which were the first global championships to use such a track. Olympic shot put champion