The fastest man in the world is currently Usain Bolt, also known as “Lightning Bolt.” In the track races of the 2008 Summer Olympics, Bolt set the current world records in the 100 meters and 200 meters: 9.69 seconds and 19.30 seconds, respectively. His 100 meter mark broke the old record of 9.72 seconds set by himself earlier that year in New York. His 200 meter mark broke the old record of 19.32 seconds set by Michael Johnson in August 1996.
Bolt hails from Jamaica, a nation that has for the last several decades produced many great sprinters. In the Olympics, he beat his countryman and former 100 meter world record holder, Asafa Powell.
Bolt's Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics
Although Bolt had been one of the world’s fastest men before the summer of 2008, and had been the new world record holder in the 100 meters since May, the 2008 Summer Olympics were what truly cemented Bolt as the world’s fastest man. For the 100 meters, Bolt ran the fastest time in all the heats for the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals. For the 200 meters, Bolt ran the fastest time in all the heats for the semifinals and finals. His 100 meter WR time put him .20 seconds in front of the 2nd place finisher, and his 200 meter WR time put him .66 seconds ahead of the 2nd place finisher.
Could Bolt Have Run Faster?
Bolt’s 100 meter time is even more impressive given the conditions. The wind reading was (0.0 m/s)—no headwind, but no tailwind either. After seeing that he had the victory well in his hand, Bolt slowed over the final 20 meters to celebrate the win. How fast could Bolt have run? In a 28 August 2008 article published on the Weltklasse Zürich website, Bolt’s trainer, Glen Mills said he “was told that with an all-out finish after the opening 60, Usain was projected to run a 9.52.” A 11 September 2008 article from the Herald Sun tells of scientists from the University of Oslo who analyzed Bolt’s race and performed a series of calculations to come up with the figure of 9.55. According to Rick Perelman in a 16 October 2008 article for Universal Sports, Bolt’s 100 meter average speed in mph was slightly over 23 mph, and Bolt's top speed in the race was slightly over 27 mph. In the 200 meter race, Bolt ran against a 0.9 m/s headwind. Bolt is the first runner to break the 100 meter and 200 meter records at the same Olympic Games.
Bolt has expressed interest in the 400 meters. It will be interesting to see where the future takes him.
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