USAIN BOLT
Usain St.
Leo Bolt, ( born 21 August 1986), is a Jamaican sprinter widely regarded as the
fastest person ever. He is the first man to hold both the 100 metres and 200
metres world records since fully automatic time measurements became mandatory
in 1977. Along with his teammates, he also set the world record in the 4×100
metres relay. He is the reigning Olympic champion in these three events, the first
man to win six Olympic gold medals in sprinting, and a five-time World
champion. He was the first to achieve a "double double" by winning
100 m and 200 m titles at consecutive Olympics (2008 and 2012),and topped this
through the first "double triple" (including 4x100m relays).
His 2009
record breaking margin for 100 m, from 9.69 (his own previous world record) to
9.58, is the highest since the start of fully automatic time measurements.
His
achievements in sprinting have earned him the media nickname "Lightning
Bolt",] and awards including the IAAF World Athlete of the Year, Track
& Field Athlete of the Year, and Laureus Sportsman of the Year (twice). He
is the highest paid athlete ever in track and field. He has been called the
world’s most marketable athlete and the greatest athlete ever.
Early years
Bolt was
born on 21 August 1986 in Sherwood Content, a small town in Trelawny, Jamaica,
and grew up with his parents, Wellesley and Jennifer Bolt, his brother Sadiki,
and his sister Sherine.His parents ran the local grocery store in the rural
area, and Bolt spent his time playing cricket and football in the street with
his brother, later saying, "When I was young, I didn’t really think about
anything other than sports".
As a child,
Bolt attended Waldensia Primary, where he first began to show his sprinting
potential, running in the annual national primary-schools' meeting for his
parish. By the age of twelve, Bolt had become the school's fastest runner over
the 100 metres distance.
Upon his
entry to William Knibb Memorial High School, Bolt continued to focus on other
sports, but his cricket coach noticed Bolt's speed on the pitch and urged him
to try track and field events. Pablo McNeil, a former Olympic sprint athlete,
and Dwayne Jarrett coached Bolt, encouraging him to focus his energy on
improving his athletic abilities. The school had a history of success in
athletics with past students, including sprinter Michael Green. Bolt won his
first annual high school championships medal in 2001, taking the silver medal
in the 200 metres with a time of 22.04 seconds. McNeil soon became his primary
coach, and the two enjoyed a positive partnership, although McNeil was
occasionally frustrated by Bolt's lack of dedication to his training and his
penchant for practical jokes.
Personal
life
Bolt
expresses a love for dancing and his character is frequently described as
laid-back and relaxed. Bolt's Jamaican track and field idols include Herb
McKenley and former Jamaican 100m and 200m world record holder, Don Quarrie.
Michael Johnson, the former 200 m world and Olympic record holder, is also held
in high esteem by Bolt.
In 2010, he
also revealed his fondness of music, when he played a reggae DJ set to a crowd
in Paris.
Bolt has
also expressed his love for football and is a fan of Manchester United.Bolt has
also declared he is a fan of Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Bolt was a
special guest of Manchester United at the 2011 UEFA Champions League final in
London, where he stated he'd like to play for them after he retires.
2012 Summer
Olympics
Before the
2012 Summer Olympics in London, Bolt came in second at the Jamaican trials in
both 100 m and 200 m. However, at the Olympics, he won the 100 metres gold
medal with a time of 9.63 seconds, setting a new Olympic record for that distance
and defending his gold medal from the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. He was
followed by fellow Jamaican, Yohan Blake, who won silver with a time of 9.75
seconds.Following the race, seventh place finisher Richard Thompson of Trinidad
and Tobago declared "There's no doubt he's the greatest sprinter of all
time", while USA Today referred to Bolt as a Jamaican "national
hero", noting that his victory came just hours before Jamaica was to
celebrate the 50th anniversary of its independence from the United Kingdom.
With his 2012 win, Bolt became the first man to defend an Olympic sprint title
since Carl Lewis in 1988.
Bolt became
the first man in history to defend both the 100 m and 200 m Olympic sprint
titles. In fact, Bolt was so comfortably ahead near the finish that he was able
to slow down, put his left finger to his mouth and "tell everyone to
shush." As soon as Bolt crossed the finish line, he did five push-ups, one
for each of his Olympic gold medals. Following the race, eighth place finisher
Anaso Jobodwana of South Africa compared Bolt to a "ghost" who
"disappears in front of you". When asked about his greatness as a
sprinter following his victory, Bolt placed himself in the category of Michael
Jordan and Muhammad Ali, in their respective sports. International Olympic
Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge initially stated that Bolt was not yet
a "legend" and would not deserve such acclaim until the end of Bolt's
career, but later called him the best sprinter of all time.
On the
final day of the 2012 Olympics' athletics, Bolt participated in Jamaica's gold
medal-winning 4×100 metres relay team consisting of Bolt, Nesta Carter, Michael
Frater and Yohan Blake. With a running time of 36.84 seconds, they broke
Jamaica's previous world record of 37.04 from 2011. He celebrated by doing the
"Mobot" in tribute to Mo Farah.
International competition record
By: Giselle Perez
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