Despite retiring nearly seven years ago, sprint legend Usain Bolt is not worried about his juniors breaking his 100m and 200m records.
In the men's 100m, Bolt holds both the world and Olympic records. The Jamaican legend set the world record in August 2009 in Berlin with a time of 9.58 seconds, and set the Olympic record in London 2012 with a time of 9.63 seconds. He also holds the world record in the 200m with a time of 19.19 seconds, set in Berlin 2009.
"I remember betting with my coach and my masseuse how fast I would run. I knew I would break the world record because I was in great shape and had been running really well all season," Bolt told World Athletics Inside Track on December 27.
With 11 gold medals at the World Championships and eight Olympic gold medals, Bolt is one of the icons of sport, not just in track and field or sprinting. Although he retired in 2017, he still holds the title of "the fastest man in the world".
Bolt (No. 6) won the men's 100m final of the 2023 World Championships at Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Russia on August 11, 2013. Photo: AFP
"It's a great title," the 37-year-old said. "It's something I like, even if I say it's not the most important thing, it's always the medal. But I like being remembered in that way."
"I'm not worried about anything," Bolt said with a laugh when asked which record would be broken first. According to the former athlete nicknamed "Black Lightning", breaking the 100m record will be more difficult because it requires better technique, faster times and almost impossible to correct even the smallest mistake.
In the 100m, Bolt still holds the three best historical results, which are 9.58 seconds in Berlin 2009, 9.63 seconds in London 2012 and 9.69 seconds in Beijing 2008. Tyson Gay of the US and Yohan Blake of Jamaica also achieved 9.69 seconds in Shanghai 2009 and Lausanne, Switzerland 2012 respectively.
In the 200m, Bolt holds two of the three all-time best times, 19.19 seconds at Berlin 2009 and 19.30 seconds at Beijing 2008. Sandwiched between Bolt's two best times is Yohan Blake's 19.26 seconds at Brussels, Belgium 2011.
American Noah Lyles was ambitious to break two of Bolt's records at Bundapest 2023 but failed, winning the 100m in 9.83 seconds and the 200m in 19.51 seconds. However, he still became the first athlete since Bolt in 2015 to win gold medals in the 100m and 200m at a single World Championships.
Hong Duy
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