Arguably the most naturally gifted athlete the world has ever seen, Usain St Leo Bolt, confirmed his tremendous talents when he realized his dreams by winning a phenomenal three gold medals and breaking three world records at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Along with his teammates, he also set the world record in the 4×100 metres relay. He created history again and became a legend at the 2012 Olympic Games in London by defending all three Olympic titles with 100m, 200m and 4x100m victories
Usain Bolt was born in Jamaica on August 21, 1986. He is the son of Grocery Store owners Wellesley and Jennifer. Usain attended the nearby Waldensia Primary School and later went on to William Knibb High School. Both a standout cricket player and a sprinter early on, Bolt’s natural speed was noticed by coaches at school, and he began to focus solely on sprinting under the tutelage of Pablo McNeil, a former Olympic sprint athlete.
As early as age 14, young Usain was opening eyes with his lightning speed. He made his first appearance on the world stage at the 2001 IAAF World Youth Championships in Debrecen, Hungary. Running in the 200 m event, he failed to qualify for the finals, but he still set a new personal best of 21.73 s.
At the age of 15, Bolt took his first shot at success on the world stage at the 2002 World Junior Championships in Kingston, Jamaica, where he won the 200-meter dash, making him the youngest world-junior gold medalist ever. Bolt’s feats impressed the athletics world, and he received the International Association of Athletics Foundation’s Rising Star Award that year and soon was given the apt nickname “Lightning Bolt.”
Performing for Jamaica in his first Caribbean regional event, Bolt clocked a personal best of 48.28 s in the 400 metres in the 2001 CARIFTA Games, winning a silver medal. The 200 m also yielded a silver as Bolt finished in 21.81 s.
In 2003 he won gold again at the World Youth Championships in Canada running the 200m in 20.40 seconds. The following year saw him run 19.93 seconds, becoming the first junior to break the 20-second mark and breaking Lorenzo Daniel’s world 200m junior record.
Former Prime Minister P. J. Patterson recognised Bolt's talent and arranged for him to move to Kingston, along with Jermaine Gonzales, so he could train with the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association (JAAA) at the University of Technology, Jamaica. He missed what turned out to be a ‘Jamaican party’ at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Australia in 2006 when he suffered another hamstring injury while running a leg of the 4x400m relay for the IAAF High performance Centre’s team at the Gibson Relays in Kingston. 2007 was the breakthrough year in that he broke the 30 year old Jamaican 200m Record, held by the great Donald Quarrie, with a time of 19.75 secs to win the Jamaican Senior T&F Championships.
In 2008 Usain Bolt rewrote the history books and became one of the biggest sports stats on the planet. He moved down in distance to the 100m sprint and in his second race of the year broke the world record with a time of 9.72 secs in New York. Since then he has gone from strength to strength with his heroic achievements in the Olympic Games in Beijing and London and in the IAAF World T&F Championships in Berlin and Daegu. He is undoubtedly the ‘World’s Fastest Man’ having broken the 100m world record three times and the 200m record two times.
In his personal life, Bolt expresses a love for dancing and his character is frequently described as laid-back and relaxed. His 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, Bolt also revealed his fondness of music, when he played a reggae DJ set to a crowd in Paris. Additionally, The first sport to interest him was cricket and he said if he was not a sprinter he would be a fast bowler instead. Bolt is also a football buff and a supporter of Manchester United. 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.
Bolt is well-known for his frank, candid interviews as well as his speed records. After winning the gold medal in the 2012 Olympics 100 m (a race in which 7 of 8 contestants ran under 10 seconds) amidst widespread doubts about his fitness and attitude, he said of his critics, "All they can do is talk. I said it on the track". In the same Olympics, he won the 200 m gold and then declared that he "is now a legend", a claim refutable by few. He is sometimes criticized for his laid-back attitude, especially for slowing down in the last moments of a race to celebrate, and practical jokes (he once hid in a van before the 200 m final).
Usain Bolt founded the Usain Bolt Foundation that works with a mission for creation of opportunities through education and cultural development for a positive change. The Usain Bolt Foundation is dedicated to the legacy for happy children; to enhance the character of children through educational and cultural development, as they live their dreams.
Usain Bolt was born in Jamaica on August 21, 1986. He is the son of Grocery Store owners Wellesley and Jennifer. Usain attended the nearby Waldensia Primary School and later went on to William Knibb High School. Both a standout cricket player and a sprinter early on, Bolt’s natural speed was noticed by coaches at school, and he began to focus solely on sprinting under the tutelage of Pablo McNeil, a former Olympic sprint athlete.
As early as age 14, young Usain was opening eyes with his lightning speed. He made his first appearance on the world stage at the 2001 IAAF World Youth Championships in Debrecen, Hungary. Running in the 200 m event, he failed to qualify for the finals, but he still set a new personal best of 21.73 s.
At the age of 15, Bolt took his first shot at success on the world stage at the 2002 World Junior Championships in Kingston, Jamaica, where he won the 200-meter dash, making him the youngest world-junior gold medalist ever. Bolt’s feats impressed the athletics world, and he received the International Association of Athletics Foundation’s Rising Star Award that year and soon was given the apt nickname “Lightning Bolt.”
Performing for Jamaica in his first Caribbean regional event, Bolt clocked a personal best of 48.28 s in the 400 metres in the 2001 CARIFTA Games, winning a silver medal. The 200 m also yielded a silver as Bolt finished in 21.81 s.
In 2003 he won gold again at the World Youth Championships in Canada running the 200m in 20.40 seconds. The following year saw him run 19.93 seconds, becoming the first junior to break the 20-second mark and breaking Lorenzo Daniel’s world 200m junior record.
Former Prime Minister P. J. Patterson recognised Bolt's talent and arranged for him to move to Kingston, along with Jermaine Gonzales, so he could train with the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association (JAAA) at the University of Technology, Jamaica. He missed what turned out to be a ‘Jamaican party’ at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Australia in 2006 when he suffered another hamstring injury while running a leg of the 4x400m relay for the IAAF High performance Centre’s team at the Gibson Relays in Kingston. 2007 was the breakthrough year in that he broke the 30 year old Jamaican 200m Record, held by the great Donald Quarrie, with a time of 19.75 secs to win the Jamaican Senior T&F Championships.
In 2008 Usain Bolt rewrote the history books and became one of the biggest sports stats on the planet. He moved down in distance to the 100m sprint and in his second race of the year broke the world record with a time of 9.72 secs in New York. Since then he has gone from strength to strength with his heroic achievements in the Olympic Games in Beijing and London and in the IAAF World T&F Championships in Berlin and Daegu. He is undoubtedly the ‘World’s Fastest Man’ having broken the 100m world record three times and the 200m record two times.
In his personal life, Bolt expresses a love for dancing and his character is frequently described as laid-back and relaxed. His 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, Bolt also revealed his fondness of music, when he played a reggae DJ set to a crowd in Paris. Additionally, The first sport to interest him was cricket and he said if he was not a sprinter he would be a fast bowler instead. Bolt is also a football buff and a supporter of Manchester United. 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.
Bolt is well-known for his frank, candid interviews as well as his speed records. After winning the gold medal in the 2012 Olympics 100 m (a race in which 7 of 8 contestants ran under 10 seconds) amidst widespread doubts about his fitness and attitude, he said of his critics, "All they can do is talk. I said it on the track". In the same Olympics, he won the 200 m gold and then declared that he "is now a legend", a claim refutable by few. He is sometimes criticized for his laid-back attitude, especially for slowing down in the last moments of a race to celebrate, and practical jokes (he once hid in a van before the 200 m final).
Usain Bolt founded the Usain Bolt Foundation that works with a mission for creation of opportunities through education and cultural development for a positive change. The Usain Bolt Foundation is dedicated to the legacy for happy children; to enhance the character of children through educational and cultural development, as they live their dreams.
Medal Haul and Recognition
2012 London Olympics (Gold) 100 m
2012 London Olympics (Gold) 200 m
2012 London Olympics (Gold) 4x100 m relay
2011 Daegu World Championships (Gold) 200 m
2011 Daegu World Championships (Gold) 4×100 m relay
2009 Berlin World Championships (Gold) 100 m
2009 Berlin World Championships (Gold) 200 m
2009 Berlin World Championships (Gold) 4×100 m relay
2008 Olympics Beijing (Gold) 100 m
2008 Olympics Beijing (Gold) 200 m
2008 Olympics Beijing (Gold) 4 x 100 m relay
2007 Osaka World Championship (Silver) 200 m
2007 Osaka World Championship (Silver) 4 x 100 m relay
As a result of Bolt's successes in athletics, he was named the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year for 2009 and 2010.
IAAF World Athlete of the Year: 2008, 2009, 2011
Track & Field Athlete of the Year: 2008, 2009
Laureus World Sportsman of the Year: 2009, 2010
BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year: 2008, 2009
2012 London Olympics (Gold) 200 m
2012 London Olympics (Gold) 4x100 m relay
2011 Daegu World Championships (Gold) 200 m
2011 Daegu World Championships (Gold) 4×100 m relay
2009 Berlin World Championships (Gold) 100 m
2009 Berlin World Championships (Gold) 200 m
2009 Berlin World Championships (Gold) 4×100 m relay
2008 Olympics Beijing (Gold) 100 m
2008 Olympics Beijing (Gold) 200 m
2008 Olympics Beijing (Gold) 4 x 100 m relay
2007 Osaka World Championship (Silver) 200 m
2007 Osaka World Championship (Silver) 4 x 100 m relay
As a result of Bolt's successes in athletics, he was named the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year for 2009 and 2010.
IAAF World Athlete of the Year: 2008, 2009, 2011
Track & Field Athlete of the Year: 2008, 2009
Laureus World Sportsman of the Year: 2009, 2010
BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year: 2008, 2009
Gospels
- His Nickname is Lightning Bolt.
- Usain Bolt Has His Own Mobile App.
- Bolt's Middle Name is St. Leo.
- According to Forbes, Usain Bolt has made $20.3 million over the past year.
- He Ate Chicken Nuggets Before His Record-Breaking 100m Run at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
- He Ran the 100m Final at the 2008 Beijing Olympics with His Shoes Untied.
- He has his own clothing line in conjunction with Puma; his own watch made by Hublot.
- He Has His Own Headphone Line.
- Bolt has his own restaurant in Kingston, Jamaica called “Tracks And Records.”
- After the 2008 Olympics Usain donated $50,000 to the children of Sichuan Province who suffered in the earthquakes of that year.
- He did five push-ups after running 200 meters in 19,63 seconds.
- SportsPro Magazine named Bolt the “most-marketable sportsman on the planet” in its second annual ranking of the world’s 50 most-marketable athletes.
- In the 100m final at the Beijing Olympics of 2008, Usain Bolt set a new world record of 9.69s. Not only did he slow down to celebrate his win, one of his shoe laces was untied as well. His coach later said that if he hadn't slowed down he could have finished in a time of around 9.5s. This was borne out by a team from the Oslo based Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics. They considered factors such as his running position, acceleration, speed, and came up with a possible time of 9.55s.
References: Wikipedia; usainbolt.com
Photos Courtesy: Google Images
Photos Courtesy: Google Images