Women to outrun men, say scientists

Women sprinters may be out-running men in the 2156 Olympics, scientists said yesterday.

If female athletes continue to close the gap with men at the rate they are doing, they could be leaving them behind in another 150 years, say researchers.

A team led by Dr Andy Tatem, from the Department of Zoology at Oxford University, calculated that by 2156 a woman sprinter could cover the 100 metres in 8.079 seconds.

That would put women ahead of their male colleagues who are expected to manage a best result of 8.098.

The mathematical formula used by the scientists indicated that women could be crossing the finishing line first at any time between the 2064 and 2788 Olympics. But the point at which they were most likely to edge in front of the men was in 2156.