When you think of track and field, one of the most iconic people to come to mind is Usain Bolt.
Despite being retired since 2017, the eight-time Olympic gold medalist is still accomplishing big things in the world of track and field—maintaining the world record for the 100m sprint for the longest duration in the event’s history.
Bolt’s record-breaking time of 9.58 seconds, achieved during the final of the 2009 World Athletics Championships in Berlin on August 16, 2009, has now held strong for 14 years, eight months, and 27 days.
This achievement surpasses the previous record set by American sprinter Jim Hines.
In June 1968, Hines made history by clocking a sub-10-second 100m, becoming the first to break the 10-second barrier in the event. Hines, renowned for his double duty on the track and as a football player, held the world record from 1968 until 1982.
The Progression Of The Sub-10 100m
| Time | Athlete | Nationality | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9.58 | Usain Bolt | 🇯🇲JAM | 16 AUG 2009 |
| 9.69 | Usain Bolt | 🇯🇲JAM | 26 AUG 2008 |
| 9.72 | Usain Bolt | 🇯🇲JAM | 31 MAY 2008 |
| 9.74 | Asafa Powell | 🇯🇲JAM | 09 SEP 2007 |
| 9.77 | Asafa Powell | 🇯🇲JAM | 18 AUG 2006 |
| 9.77 | Asafa Powell | 🇯🇲JAM | 11 JUN 2006 |
| 9.77 | Asafa Powell | 🇯🇲JAM | 14 JUN 2005 |
| 9.79 | Maurice Greene | 🇺🇸USA | 16 JUN 1999 |
| 9.84 | Donovan Bailey | 🇨🇦CAN | 27 JUL 1996 |
| 9.85 | Leroy Burrell | 🇺🇸USA | 06 JUL 1994 |
| 9.86 | Carl Lewis | 🇺🇸USA | 25 AUG 1991 |
| 9.90 | Leroy Burrell | 🇺🇸USA | 14 JUN 1991 |
| 9.92 | Carl Lewis | 🇺🇸USA | 24 SEP 1988 |
| 9.93 | Carl Lewis | 🇺🇸USA | 30 AUG 1987 |
| 9.93 | Calvin Smith | 🇺🇸USA | 03 JUL 1983 |
| 9.95 | Jim Hines | 🇺🇸USA | 14 OCT 1968 |
Despite being retired from professional track and field for the last seven years, Bolt remains confident in the strength of his records. In a December interview, Bolt expressed his lack of concern about his records in the 100m and 200m sprints being surpassed any time soon.
“It’s a great title to have,” Bolt said in an interview with World Athletics. “It’s something that I enjoy hearing and I enjoy knowing.”
Bolt’s supremacy in the 100m dates back to May 2008, when he initially set the world record. He subsequently broke it twice more in August 2008 and exactly a year later in Berlin, where he achieved his historic time of 9.58 seconds.
Now aged 37, Usain Bolt continues to be hailed as the fastest man ever. His remarkable speed and charismatic personality have made him an icon of the sport.
