Usain Bolt: The World's Fastest Human

The title of World's Fastest Human, is one that has been held by countless sprinters over the years, and while famed sprinters like Jesse Owens, Bob Hayes or Michael Johnson have managed to turn a simple 10 or 20 seconds dash into a definitive statement for the ages, rare has been the runner who has made every race they've entered look like Secretariat's run at Belmont. Usain Bolt's latest exploits on the track would be one that falls into the latter category.

Born on June 21, 1986 in Treiawny Jamacia, Usain Bolt first showcased his considerable talents on the international stage at the 2001 CARTIFA Games, a competition which saw the gangly teenager run a personal best of 48.28 for the 400 meters, and 21.81 for the 200 meters. The latter winning him a silver medal for the event.

Yet it was at the World Junior Championships the following year, held in front of his home crowd in Kingston Jamacia, that Bolt begin to exhibit the first signs of the speed which would make him an Olympic champion and world record holder. A scintillating run in the 200 meters would bring the 6 foot 5 inch sprinter home in a time of 20.61, a performance which would earn him a gold medal for the event.

At the Pan-American Junior Championships a year later, Bolt would equal the junior world's record for the 200 meters with a time of 20.13. It was a record he would soon lower to 19.93 by 2004, becoming the first junior runner to break the 20 second barrier in the process. Injuries would temporarily stall his promising career and though he made the Jamaican Olympic team for the 2004 Athens Olympics, Bolt would fail to advance out of the first round of the 200 meters, running more than a second slower than his personal best. Injuries would also wreck havoc with his efforts at the 2005 World Championships, where he would finish dead last in the 200 meters.

Over the next few years, Bolt continue to improve as a sprinter, as a change of coach and new found dedication nto the sport began to pay off. In 2007, after he lowered the Jamaican 200 meter record to 19.75, Bolt would take a silver medal in the same event at the World Championship Games in Osaka Japan.

Turning his attention to the 100 meters the following year, Bolt clocked a time of 9.76 over the shorter distance in early May before breaking the world's record, with a time of 9.72 , at the Reebok Grand Prix in New York City later that month. Considering how infrequent he had raced the distance, the world record shocked the world of track and field, and turn Bolt into a gold medal favorite for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

At the Olympics, Bolt would not disappoint, capturing three gold medals with three electrifying world record performances. In the 100 meters, Bolt posted sub 10 second times in both the quarter and semi finals, before lowering his own world record to 9.69 in the finals to finish a full two tenths of a second ahead of a star studded field. In the 200 meters, Bolt would break Michael Johnson's "unbreakable" record of 19.32 with a 19.30 time in the finals, a record he set despite running into a head wind. Two days later, he would return to the track as part of Jamaica's 4x100 meter relay team. Running the third leg of the race, Bolt would help Jamaica break the existing world record with a time of 37.10.

It would be hard to conceive that a runner could improve on the marks Bolt set in Beijing, but the 2009 World Championship in Berlin would see him once again break the world's record for both the 100 and 200 meters. In the 100 meters, Bolt would take the lead at the 20 meter mark and never look back, crossing the finish line in 9.58, leaving American rival Tyson Gay (9.71) in his wake. In the 200 meters, Bolt sliced another .11 of his mark with a remarkable time of 19.19. In the longer even Bolt reach the 100 meter mark in 9.92, and kept going leaving the closes pursuer 6 meters behind at the finish. His accomplishments over 200 meters were not lost of his fellow competitors, least of all 2004 Olympic gold medalist Shawn Crawford who said, "he's about to break into the 18-sec. realm.' It's like you're witnessing a miracle." While former world record holder Michael Johnson has added, Michael Johnson "He has made people stop and rethink what humans are capable of doing."

How much faster can Bolt go remains to be seen. For his part, the 23 year old seems to think a time of 9.4 in the 100 meters is possible. In the longer event a time under 19 seconds may be within reach, given the fact that his latest world's record was run into a headwind. In either case, look for Bolt's reign as the world's fastest human to extend long into the foreseeable future. It is a title that may stay with him on a permanent basis, given what he has already accomplished and what he may yet accomplish.

References:

"Bolt from the blue," www.independent.co.uk, May 4, 2008.

Gregory, Sean, "Person of the Year 2009 Runner-Up: Usain Bolt," www.time.com, Dec. 16, 2009.

Hersh, Philip "Usain Bolt smashes world record in the 200," Los Angeles Times, August 21, 2009

Lindstrom, Sieg,"Zzzzzzzzapp!" Track & Field News, Nov 2009.

www.sports.yahoo.com/olympics

www.world-track.org