At the SEC Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on Saturday, Canadian youngster Christopher Morales Williams stunned everyone with his lightning-fast 400-meter run, winning in an amazing 44.49 seconds.
Alas, Morales Williams’ incredible run falls short of American Kerron Clement’s 2005 record on the same track—by just 0.08 seconds.
Sadly, there was a problem with the starting blocks that prevented this incredible accomplishment from being officially acknowledged as a world indoor record. Even though the speedster’s accomplishment isn’t recorded in history, it nevertheless speaks volumes about his extraordinary skill and ability on the track.
Morales unlucky
The US Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTCCCA), citing problems with starting blocks, views the time achieved at the SEC Indoor Championships—despite a fantastic performance—as an all-time global best rather than an official record. This is comparable to Michael Norman’s 2018 record, which was tainted by a similar error.
The University of Arkansas, the event venue, explains that official world records require starting blocks that are connected to a Start Information System that has been verified by World Athletics. To further complicate matters, head coaches from SEC schools have voted together against using them, adding a new chapter to the already remarkable story.
The spokesperson said; “It may also be considered a Canadian national record, depending on the criteria Athletics Canada uses to verify a national record.” an article from edition.cnn shared.
The 19-year-old sensation, Morales Williams, revealed his amazement in breaking the world record time at such an early stage of his career in a post-race review.
C0ver Photo: Instagram