Usain Bolt is arguably the greatest sprinter of all time, ahead of prominent athletes such as the United States sprinter Michael Johnson. In recent times, the Jamaican has been dominating the sprinting world, setting many records nearly impossible to break.
A look through the history books of prestigious competitions such as the Olympics Games or World Championships will make one marvel at the dominance of Usain Bolt. Usain Bolt's world records are many, so much that he dominates almost every category of track events.
Not only does Usain Bolt break other records set by other athletes, but he also goes ahead to break records previously set by him.
Even athletes who performed before Usain Bolt has admitted that what he has done in the athletic world might be very hard to replicate over a very long time.
"You think of the great sprinters of the past who have done things that have never been done before like Jesse Owens, Carl Lewis and myself. But none of us has produced, in my opinion, the consistency and longevity that Bolt has. So to this point, he has to be considered the greatest," Michael Johnson once said about the sprinter.
Usain Bolt World Records at a Glance
Usain Bolt has achieved much in the sprinting world within his 16 years of running. He has broken many records within the 100 meters, 200 meters, and even 4x100m sprint categories.
Currently, Usain Bolt's record in the 100 meters category was at the 2009 IAAF World Championships, when he finished the race within 9.58 seconds. Usain Bolt’s average ground speed during this particular race was 37.58km/h, and he also reached a top speed of 44.72km/h in the same race. This was a huge feat for Usain Bolt, and that was when he started building his legacy as the world's fastest man.
Usain Bolt's top speed in the 100 meters category was broken by him at different times in different competitions. During the 2008 Reebok Grand Prix in the Icahn Stadium in New York, Usain Bolt finished the race within 9.72 seconds. This record was broken by Bolt himself when he ran 9.69 seconds at the Beijing Olympics to win gold in the 100m category.
Although Tyson Gay and Yohan Blake have equalled Bolt’s 9.69 seconds, Bolt’s 9.58 seconds at the 2009 World Championships and 9.63 seconds at the London 2012 Olympics have not been broken by any runner in any prestigious running competition to date.
The 100m race isn't the only category in which Usain Bolt holds records. The seasoned runner is also a renowned expert within the 200m category and holds many records there. Before setting a world record within the 200m category, Usain Bolt broke previous ones to set the most current.
The first time Bolt held a record within this category was when he finished by 19.67 seconds. Then he broke Michael Johnson’s long-standing record of 19.32 seconds by finishing within 19.30 seconds in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. However, the current record he holds in this category was after finishing within 19.19 seconds at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin.
Within the 4x100m category, Usain Bolt has helped his country to break more records. The 4x100m has been predominantly dominated by the Jamaicans, and Usain Bolt only helped them to cement their place within his category when they created a record of 36.84 seconds at the 2012 Olympics final, beating their country's previous record of 37.04 seconds.