Usain Bolt, born on August 21, 1986, in Montego Bay, Jamaica, is a legendary Jamaican sprinter renowned for his extraordinary achievements in the 100-metre and 200-metre sprints across three consecutive Olympic Games, a feat unrivaled in history. He is widely acknowledged as the preeminent sprinter of all time.
Growing up as the child of grocery store owners in the rural area of Trelawny parish in Jamaica, Bolt initially showed his athletic prowess as a promising cricket fast bowler during his early teens. He was a fan of European football clubs Real Madrid and Manchester United. However, his talents were redirected towards athletics by his school coaches. Bolt made an early mark in the world of track and field at the 2002 World Junior Championships in Kingston, Jamaica. At just 15, he clinched the gold in the 200 meters, setting a record as the youngest male to become a world junior champion in any event. By the age of 16, he had already broken the junior world record for the 200-metre with a time of 20.13 seconds. At 17, he made history again by completing the race in 19.93 seconds, becoming the first teenager to finish the event in under 20 seconds. However, his early career was challenged by a hamstring injury, leading to his early exit from the 200-meter heats at the 2004 Olympics in Athens and a last-place finish in the 2005 world track-and-field championships final.
Standing at 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 meters), Bolt challenged the prevailing belief that tall sprinters are at a disadvantage in quick starts. In 2007, his renewed commitment to training earned him a silver medal in the 200 meters at the World Championships. He also convinced his coach to allow him to compete in the 100 meters, debuting with a time of 10.03 seconds. On May 3, 2008, he improved his personal best to 9.76 seconds, the second-fastest at that time globally. Later, in New York City, he broke the world record with a time of 9.72 seconds, outpacing the then-world champion Tyson Gay.
During the 2008 Olympic Games, Bolt achieved a historic feat similar to American Carl Lewis in 1984, winning the 100 meters, 200 meters, and 4 × 100-metre relay. He set world records in all three events (9.69 seconds, 19.30 seconds, and 37.10 seconds, respectively). However, he was later stripped of his gold medal in the relay due to a teammate’s failed drug test. His winning margins in the 200-meter and 100-meter races were the largest in Olympic history. At the 2009 World Championships, Bolt broke his 100-metre record with a time of 9.58 seconds and his 200-metre record by 0.11 seconds, securing two more gold medals.
Bolt was favored to win at the 2011 World Championships but was disqualified from the 100-meter final due to a false start. Nevertheless, he won gold in the 200 meters and the 4 × 100-metre relay, setting a new world record in the latter. At the 2012 London Olympics, he successfully defended his 100-metre and 200-metre titles, setting an Olympic record in the former, and became the first athlete to win both events in consecutive Olympics. In 2013, he claimed three gold medals at the world championships (100 meters, 200 meters, and 4 × 100-metre relay).
Bolt continued his dominance at the 2015 World Championships, winning gold in the 100 meters, 200 meters, and 4 × 100-metre relay. His fourth career 200-meter gold set a new record for most wins in that event at the world championships. He solidified his status as the greatest sprinter in history at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, where he won golds in the 100-metre, 200-metre, and 4 × 100-metre relay, becoming the first athlete to win golds in the two individual sprints across three consecutive Olympics. Bolt retired from athletics following the 2017 World Championships, where he won a bronze in the 100-metre sprint and finished eighth in the 4 × 100-metre relay due to a hamstring injury during the final race.
Bolt authored his memoir, “My Story: 9:58: The World’s Fastest Man” (co-written with Shaun Custis), published in 2010, which was later expanded and reissued in 2012 as “The Fastest Man Alive: The True Story of Usain Bolt.”
