We have already been in competition for over a week in these 2024 Olympic Games, and although the medalists in several disciplines are already known, there is still much to be decided at the great event of world sports. In the coming days, we will witness the finals of some of the most important events of each edition, such as the 100 meters, the winner of which will be known this Sunday, July 4.
The grand final is scheduled for 21:50 HEC, at which time eight runners will fight for the dream of every athlete: to win an Olympic gold. Moreover, the more ambitious athletes may have another goal in mind, to break the world record of 100 meters established by Usain Bolt, one of the marks that is, at first glance, the most difficult to surpass in Paris 2024.
What is the world record
‘Lightning Bolt’, or simply ‘The fastest man in the world’, are not nicknames given to just anyone on the planet. Usain Bolt is one of the most important athletes of this century, and one of his main achievements is setting the world record for 100 meters. It was in 2009 when the Jamaican ran the 100 meters in 9.58 seconds. That same year, Thyson Gay recorded the second-best registered time at 9.69 seconds, a mark that is also held by Yohan Blake.
Where and how he broke the record
From the late 20th century until 2009, the world record changed relatively quickly, as the marks were very close and athletes continuously surpassed each other. Everything changed when Usain Bolt arrived and changed the rules of the game. The Jamaican arrived at the Beijing 2008 Olympics with the world record in hand, but he himself broke the record at the Olympic event with a time of 9.69 seconds in the 100 meters final.
Bolt was in peak form, and he saw the 2009 World Athletics Championships in Berlin as the perfect moment and place to write his name in the history books with permanent ink. In the World final, the Jamaican ran at 44.72 km/h, and the stopwatch stopped at 9.58 seconds, a record nobody has come close to so far.
Women’s record
Although it is hard to believe, the women’s world record for the 100 meters has not been broken since 1988. That year, American athlete Florence Griffith stopped the clock at 10.49 seconds. It was at the Indianapolis trials, and also in 1988, Griffith made history at the Seoul Olympics by winning three gold medals in the 100 meters, 200 meters, and 4×100 meter relay.