Jesse Owens

Owens raced from hand-dug holes in cinder tracks, without starting blocks, and still looks modern on film. Watch his upright, relaxed upper body and the light, quick contacts that made him so efficient: the same economy that let him win four golds in Berlin in 1936 across the 100m, 200m, long jump and relay. He is the reference point for how smooth sprinting can look before any of today's technology.