On August 16, 2009, Usain Bolt won the 100-meter final at the 2009 World Athletics Championships, setting a new world record.
A new generation of competitive sprinters will vie for gold in Paris this summer, 2024, breaking the record that has stood for nearly 15 years. Will this sport see any more historical moments?
In 2009, Bolt broke his own record that he had established the year before in a spectacular performance in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, finishing in an astounding 9.58 seconds.
That amazing run by the renowned Jamaican has never been surpassed and nobody has even come near. Actually, this decade has seen no sprinter cross the 9.70-second mark in the 100-meter event.
Even though Bolt’s world record appears to be unbreakable for now, a respectable number of sprinters are still vying to be the fastest person ever.
Who says they won’t be able to run faster than 9.58 in the future, even though it seems unlikely any of them will be able to do it anytime soon and most likely not during the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024?
Christian Coleman
Christian Coleman, a sprinter from the United States, told reporters last month that he thought Bolt’s world record for the 100 meters would be broken soon. “9.58 is obviously an extraordinary time but honestly I feel like there’s a lot of guys who are competing today who are not that far off,” Coleman said, if the track gods saw fit.
However, everything needs to be ideal—the right day, the right competition, the right location. I think those kinds of amazing moments occur when you’re focused on running correctly, like finishing a good race.
While Coleman played down suggestions that he could be the one to break the record, he is one of three to be closest to Bolt’s fastest time. The 28-year-old ran 9.76 at the 2019 World Athletics Championships as he took the gold medal.
He was then suspended from athletics for a missed drugs test and wasn’t able to compete at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, but is in contention for a medal at Paris 2024. Whether he’ll be able to come close to Bolt’s world record remains to be seen.
Fred Kerley
Another guy with a personal best of 9.76 is Fred Kerley, who has perhaps been the most reliable 100-meter runner this decade. He won his first 100-meter global title in 2022, following his silver medal result at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
When you realize that in 2021 he moved from the 400m to shorter distances, his accomplishments are even more astounding. Kylian Mbappe of PSG is given a 100-meter running challenge by Usain Bolt to see whether he can match the Olympian’s speed.
The 29-year-old was originally certain he could break Bolt’s world record in the 100 meters, but that may have altered after he was eliminated in the semifinals of the 2023 World Athletics Championships.
In October 2022, Kerley told The Independent, “It’s very realistic.” “Everything about Bolt, Wayde [Van Niekerk], and the great Americans is reality. They raised the bar so that we could do it.
“Why can’t we do it if they can?” I have to keep up my good training, eating, and sleeping habits. In the long run, these little actions will help me reach my larger objectives. The double gold and the records.
I communicate with Bolt via social media. However, we avoid discussing records. He raised the bar so that we could go after it. We’re just trying to get to the bar; he has it.
Trayvon Bromell
Another American, Trayvon Bromell, ran a 9.76 at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi in September 2021, making him the third and last sprinter to do so.
After a lackluster showing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where Bromell failed to qualify for the 100-meter final, it was the ideal comeback. Before the Games, there had been a lot of anticipation for Bromell; Bolt had even declared him to be his athlete to watch.
Undoubtedly, the 28-year-old has shown signs of weakness under pressure, but maybe in Paris 2024, he can silence his skeptics and get closer to Bolt’s world record.
Marcell Jacobs
Kerley was had to settle for a silver medal after Marcell Jacobs shocked the world by winning the gold medal in the 100 meters at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
The Italian, who transitioned from long jump to sprinting in 2019, was comparatively unknown. His greatest victory before the Olympics came from winning the gold in the 60 meters at the European Indoor Championships.
Even though Jacobs was expected to succeed Bolt after Tokyo 2020, his 9.80 personal best time is slower than that of Coleman, Kerley, and Bromell. He was also eliminated at the 2023 World Athletics Championships after reaching the 100-meter semifinals.
It remains to be seen if Jacobs’ gold medal performance in Tokyo 2020 was a one-time event, but he has already taken the world by surprise. Perhaps he is headed for another victory by shattering Bolt’s world record.
Noah Lyles
The youngest athlete in this group is world champion in both the 100 and 200 meters, Noah Lyles. Although it is more likely that Lyles will be able to break Bolt’s world record in the 200 meters, the 26-year-old is beginning to establish himself as a contender in the shorter distance because to his increased attention on the 100 meters.
Lyles is a little slower than Jacobs and his American teammates; he set a world record last year with a time of 9.83 for the 100 meters.
He told the World Athletics podcast The Inside Track that he was training to smash Bolt’s record at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028, but he is still confident he can do so.
“Specifically for this year, I want to consolidate myself as the fastest man in the world in the 100 and 200 metres,” Lyle told the podcast.
