Why Usain Bolt believes he would have run faster during his heyday
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Reading Time: 2min | Sun. 14.09.25. | 11:59
Since Bolt’s retirement in 2017, Jamaica has not celebrated a male global sprint champion
Over 16 years after rewriting history in Berlin, sprint icon Usain Bolt believes his 100m world record could have been even quicker had he competed in today’s era of advanced footwear.
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Bolt stunned the world in 2009 when he clocked 9.58 seconds at the World Championships, lowering his own 9.69 set a year earlier at the Beijing Olympics. His record has now lasted longer than Jim Hines’s 9.95 from the 1968 Mexico Games, which stood for 14 years.
Now 39, the Jamaican says modern “super-spikes” carbon-plated shoes that have transformed sprinting in recent years might have propelled him to an astonishing 9.42.
“I fully agree with Puma’s research. If I’d had these spikes in my time, I probably would have run way faster. I saw what Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce did; she got faster with the spikes.
If I knew they’d reach this level, maybe I would have continued, because it would have been great to compete at that speed,” Bolt said at an event in Tokyo ahead of the World Championships.
Despite his belief, Bolt remains confident his world record is safe for now. Fellow Jamaican Kishane Thompson clocked 9.75 at the national trials in June, the fastest in a decade, but Bolt insists that no one looks ready to eclipse his 2009 feat.
“I think the talent is there, but at this present moment, I don’t think they can break the record,” he said.
Since Bolt’s retirement in 2017, Jamaica has not celebrated a male global sprint champion. Thompson came agonizingly close last year, losing Olympic gold to Noah Lyles by five-thousandths of a second.
Bolt, however, believes Thompson and compatriot Oblique Seville have what it takes to end that drought in Tokyo.
“They should be one-two if they execute well. I’m really looking forward to it, and hopefully I’ll be the one presenting the gold medal,” he offered.
Asked about Lyles, who has irked Jamaican fans by declaring Thompson “in his pocket,” Bolt brushed off any tension.
“It’s no different from when I was facing Justin Gatlin. Back then, trash talk was normal. For me, I never listened, I always knew when I was ready, no one could beat me,” Bolt offered.
Beyond Tokyo’s battles, Bolt also offered advice to rising Australian sensation Gout Gout, a 17-year-old who has drawn comparisons to the sprint legend and will make his World Championships debut in the 200m.
“He’s very talented and running great times. But the transition from junior to senior level is never easy. It depends on the right coach, the right people, and focus. Talent alone won’t be enough,” he advised.
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