Usain Bolt
The Jamaican sprinter who holds the 100 m and 200 m world records and won eight Olympic gold medals.
Also known as: Lightning Bolt
Usain Bolt is the fastest recorded human sprinter, holder of the 100 m and 200 m world records and an eight-time Olympic champion.
What it is
Usain Bolt (born 21 August 1986 in Sherwood Content, Jamaica) is the fastest human sprinter ever officially timed. He holds the world records for both the 100 metres (9.58 s) and the 200 metres (19.19 s), both set at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, and has held them since.
Bolt won eight Olympic gold medals across the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Games (one was later reallocated after a relay teammate's doping disqualification) and eleven World Championship golds. Unusually tall for a sprinter at 1.95 m, his long stride meant he covered 100 m in about 41 steps where rivals took 44 or more. He retired from competition in 2017 and remains the only sprinter to win the 100 m and 200 m at three consecutive Olympics.
Related entries
Sources & further reading
- Usain Bolt — Athlete Profile — World Athletics (article)