A Jamaican is the fast sprinter in the world and he is popularly known as Usain St. Leo Bolt. He was born in Aug. 21st, 1986 in the city of Montego Bay, Jamaica. He is regarded as the greatest sprinter of all time that won gold medals in the 100-metre and 200-metre races in an unprecedented three straight Olympic Games. In other words, at a point in his career, he started developing a deep love for one of the top clubs in Spain (Real Madrid) and also top club in EPL (Manchester United) but his school coaches steered him toward track and field events. However, Bolt came to the limelight as a track prodigy at the 2002 world junior championships. According to one of the events he partook in the past, racing before a crowd of thirty-six thousand (36,000) in Jamaica’s National Stadium in Kingston, Bolt who was just 15 years old at the time won gold in the 200-metres, becoming the youngest ever male world junior champion in any event. At the age of 16, Usain Bolt cut the junior 200-metre world record to 20.13 seconds and at 17 he ran the event in 19.93 sec, becoming the first teenager to break 20 seconds in the race. Indeed, he is an inspiration to the youths across the world. The sprinter, who dominated athletics for the better part of a decade beginning with at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, reminded the youths why he was is so beloved. Not due to all he has achieved, and how much he’s worth, but because he’s remained humble.
However, he suffered a hamstring injury, because of that, he failed to advance beyond the 200-metre heats at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, and placed last in the 2005 world track and field championships final. However, at 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 meters), Bolt defied the conventional wisdom that very tall sprinters are disadvantaged as fast starters. In 2007, he appeared newly dedicated to his training and earned a silver medal in the 200-meters at the world championships. He also persuaded his coach to let him try the 100-meters, and he ran 10.03 sec in his first professional race at the distance. In addition, on May 3rd , 2008, his performance disappointed him and lowered his best time to 9.76 sec, thereby paving way to the world’s second fastest mark. Four weeks later in New York City, Usain Bolt broke the world record, running 9.72 sec to defeat world champion Tyson Gay.
Moreover, at the 2008 Olympic Games, Bolt became the first man since American Carl Lewis in 1984 to win the 100-meters, 200-metres, and 4 × 100-metre relay in a single Olympics and the first ever to set world records (9.69 sec, 19.30 sec, and 37.10 sec, respectively) in all three events. (However, a failed drug test by one of his 4 × 100 teammates led to Bolt’s having his gold medal in that event stripped.) He never fails to break records and create new one. According to Olympic history, he created a new record by winning with 0.66 seconds in 200-meter race and his 0.20 sec edge over the second-place finisher in the 100 meters, despite beginning his victory celebration about 80-meters into the race, was the largest since Lewis won by the same margin. Nevertheless, in the year 2009, he set new record in the world championships by shattering his 100-metre record, and won the event final in 9.58 sec. Four days later he broke his own 200-metre record by the same 0.11 sec margin to win a second gold medal at the world championships.
Bolt was the heavy favorite in the sprint events heading into the 2011 world championships, but a false start disqualified him from the 100-metre final. Furthermore, not minding that he failed to medal in his signature race, Usain rejuvenated to recapture some gold in the 200-meters and the 4 by 100-meter relay and this paved way to setting new records in the outing. Bolt has not failed to stand in defense of his medals. However, in the year 2012, in London Olympics, he defended his both 100 and 200 meters titles. Afterwards, he set a new record by being the first person to win both races in consecutive Olympiads. More so, in 2013 he won three gold medals at the world championships (100-metre, 200-metre, and 4 × 100-metre relay).
At the 2015 world championships, Bolt again won gold medals in his three signature events (100-metres, 200-metres, and 4 × 100-metre relay), and his fourth career 200-metre gold extended his record for most wins in that race at the world championships. He cemented his role as the best sprinter in history at the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games, where he captured golds in the 100-metre, 200-metre, and 4 × 100-metre relay events, becoming the first person to win golds in the two individual sprints in three straight Olympics. Bolt got retired after his poor outing in the year 2017 during world championships. He performed poorly in both 4 by 100-metre relay team and also 100-meter sprint.
At the 2017 World Athletics Championships, Bolt won his heat uncomfortably after a slow start in 10.07, in his semi-final he improved to 9.98 but was beaten by Christian Coleman by 0.01. That race broke Bolt’s 4 year winning streak in the 100-meters. In other words, Usain Bolt got disappointed in his final race as he only won Bronze medal in 9.95, 0.01 behind Silver medalist Coleman and 0.03 behind World Champion Justin Gatlin. It was the first time Bolt had been beaten at a major championship since the 4×100 m relay of the 2007 World Athletics Championships. Also at the 2017 World Athletics Championships, Bolt participated as the anchor runner for Jamaica’s 4×100-metre relay team in both the heats and the final. Jamaica won their heat comfortably in 37.95 seconds. In what was intended to be his final race, Bolt pulled up in agony with 50-metres to go and collapsed to the track after what was later confirmed to be another hamstring injury. He refused a wheelchair and crossed the finish line one last time with the assistance of his teammates Omar McLeod, Julian Forte, and Yohan Blake.
By Aditya Raj, New Rainbow Public School, Ghaziabad
