Noah Lyles won the men’s 100-meter, but he started as the slowest runner in the final. The New York Times superimposed shaded circles on the track, in combination with composite photos of the runners, to show how it happened.
The color of the circles indicate speed rank, as opposed to run speed. Everyone ran extremely fast, so showing actual speed probably wouldn’t do much good.
People have suggested that the Olympics should have regular people run, swim, and perform alongside the athletes to highlight the extremes. Seems like a good idea. Anything to set a visual baseline since fast against fast or strong against strong can make the extremes seem less extreme.
