Usain Bolt

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Lore & Background

Bolt is the only sprinter to win Olympic 100 m and 200 m titles at three consecutive Olympics (2008, 2012, and 2016). He also won two 4 × 100 relay gold medals. He gained worldwide fame for his double sprint victory in world record times at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, which made him the first person to hold both records since fully automatic time became mandatory. An eleven-time World Champion, Bolt won consecutive World Championship 100 m, 200 m and 4 × 100 metres relay gold medals from 2009 to 2015, with the exception of a 100 m false start in 2011. He is the most successful male athlete of the World Championships. He is the first athlete to win four World Championship titles in the 200 m and is one of the most successful in the 100 m with three titles, being the first person to run sub-9.7s and sub-9.6s races. Bolt improved upon his second 100 m world record of 9.69 with 9.58 seconds in 2009 – the biggest improvement since the start of electronic timing. He has twice broken the 200 metres world record, setting 19.30 in 2008 and 19.19 in 2009. He has helped Jamaica to three 4 × 100 metres relay world records, with the current record being 36.84 seconds set in 2012. Bolt's most successful event is the 200 m, with three Olympic and four World titles. The 2008 Olympics was his international debut over 100 m; he had earlier won numerous 200 m medals (including 2007 World Championship silver) and held the world under-20 and world under-18 records for the event until being surpassed by Erriyon Knighton in 2021. His achievements as a sprinter have earned him the media nickname 'Lightning Bolt', and his awards include the IAAF World Athlete of the Year, Track & Field Athlete of the Year, BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year (three times), and Laureus World Sportsman of the Year (four times). Bolt was included in Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2016. Bolt retired after the 2017 World Championships, when he finished third in his last solo 100 m race, opted out of the 200 m, and pulled up injured in the 4 × 100 m relay final.

In Their Own Story

The stadium lights hummed over the Olympic Stadium in Beijing. The air was thick with humidity and anticipation. On the blocks, a tall figure leaned forward, looking almost too relaxed for the gravity of the moment. As the gun cracked, he exploded from the ground, his long strides eating up the track. In the final ten meters, he glanced to his right, saw no one close, and threw his hands out in triumph before even crossing the line. The clock flashed 9.69. The world had just witnessed a new definition of speed.

Reader's Guide

Usain St. Leo Bolt was born on 21 August 1986 to parents Wellesley Bolt and Jennifer Bolt in Sherwood Content, a small town in Jamaica. He has a brother, Sadiki, and a sister, Sherine. He attended Waldensia Primary and later William Knibb Memorial High School. His cricket coach urged him to try track and field. Coaches Pablo McNeil and Dwayne Jarrett encouraged him. He won his first high school championships medal in 2001, a silver in the 200 metres. He made his first world stage appearance at the 2001 IAAF World Youth Championships. He is one of only eleven athletes to win World Championships titles at the youth, junior, and senior levels. Former Prime Minister P. J. Patterson arranged for him to move to Kingston to train with the JAAA. At the 2002 World Junior Championships in Kingston, he won the 200 m, becoming the youngest world-junior gold medallist ever. He won four golds at the 2003 CARIFTA Games and was awarded the Austin Sealy Trophy. He set a new championship record in the 200 m at the 2003 World Youth Championships. He broke the 200 m and 400 m records at his final Jamaican High School Championships in 2003. He equalled Roy Martin's world junior record of 20.13 s at the Pan-American Junior Championships.

Did You Know?

• Bolt is the only sprinter to win Olympic 100 m and 200 m titles at three consecutive Olympics (2008, 2012, and 2016).
• He improved his 100 m world record from 9.69 to 9.58 seconds in 2009, the biggest improvement since the start of electronic timing.
• Bolt's current 4 × 100 metres relay world record of 36.84 seconds was set in 2012.
• He held the world under-20 and under-18 records for the 200 m until being surpassed by Erriyon Knighton in 2021.