Usain Bolt - Athlete extraordinaire

Usain Bolt - Athlete extraordinaire

Learn more about the Jamaican sprint sensation.
Posted: Jul 30, 9:58a ET | Updated: Jul 31, 2:56p ET

BIO
Name: Usain St. Leo Bolt
Date of Birth: August 28, 1986
Birthplace: Montego Bay, Jamaica
Hometown: Trelawny, Jamaica
Residence: Kingston, Jamaica
College: None
Height: 6-4
Weight: 198 pounds
Events:100m, 200m, 4x100m
Last loss: July 22, 2008
Coach: Glen Mills
Family: Wellesley, father; Jennifer, mother; Sadeeki, brother; Sherine, sister
PROFILE
Sprint story in 2010: At the beginning of the spring, Usain Bolt stated that his goal for the year was to finish the season unbeaten but made no promises about breaking records. So far he is on track to meet his objective. He kicked things off with a scintillating 8.79-second anchor leg of Jamaica's 4x100m relay at the Penn Relays. He followed that up by winning the 200m in 19.56 at the Jamaica Invitational in May, winning the 100m at the Colorful Daegu Meeting in 9.86, and then cruising to a 200m win at the Diamond League meet in Shanghai. At the Golden Spike in Ostrava later that month, Bolt won the 300m in 30.97, just missing the world record on 30.85. But in that race, which was held in rainy conditions, Bolt suffered an Achilles tendon injury which wound up sidelining him for seven weeks. He returned to action on July 8 in Lausanne, winning the 100m in 9.82. Eight days later, Bolt ran 9.84 to beat Asafa Powell in the 100m in Paris.
Olympic history
As an 18-year-old at the Athens Olympics in 2004, Usain Bolt, still feeling the effects of a hamstring injury suffered that spring, was eliminated in the first round of heats in the 200m. At the Beijing Olympics in 2008, Bolt became a global star when he shattered the world record in the 100m, running 9.69 seconds; then took out Michael Johnson's world record in the 200m, running 19.30 seconds; then ran the third leg of Jamaica's 4x100m which won gold in 37.10 seconds.
In a Worlds of his own
When Bolt got to the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, everyone questioned if there was any way he could possibly top his remarkable performance from the summer before. The answer was a resounding yes. In the 100m, Bolt blasted his way to victory in 9.58 seconds. He later surprised even himself when he lowered his 200m mark to 19.19 seconds.
Fast man needs to slow down
In April of 2009, Bolt crashed his BMW M3 sports car while speeding on a rain-slicked road outside of Kingston. Bolt, along with his brother and a female passenger were treated for minor injuries and released from a Spanish Town hospital. Bolt walked away from the accident, which left his car overturned in a ditch, with mostly scratches and a minor foot injury. He missed about a month of training and competition.
Big start in Big Apple
Bolt came to New York in May of 2008 in great shape and looking forward to a showdown with rival Tyson Gay of the U.S., the reigning world champion in the 100m and 200m at the time, at the Reebok Grand Prix. After a lengthy rain delay, Bolt sped to victory in 9.72, breaking the world record of 9.74 held by fellow Jamaican Asafa Powell. Commending Bolt's physical superiority after the race, Gay remarked, "It looked like his knees were going past my face."
Seriously fast
A series of injuries that threatened to derail his career, reports of hard partying and lack of interest in training had caused many to write Bolt off as another over paid, spoiled athlete. But on June 24, 2007, Bolt crossed the finish line of the 200m in 19.75 seconds, breaking the Jamaican record set by Olympic legend Donald Quarrie in Cali, Colombia in August 1971, 15 years before Bolt was even born. "Over the years, I have learned a lot and it forces you to grow up quickly," Bolt said in an IAAF interview. "I am hungry for a title under my belt and if you want to be a champion you have to be serious, buckle down and do the work required."
Comeback season
During 2006, Bolt ran a total of seven times under 20.30 seconds, including a second-place 19.96 at the Athens World Cup and a 19.96 third-place finish at the World Athletics Final. But most significantly, for the first time since his appearance on the international circuit, Bolt remained injury-free throughout the whole summer.
Flash of the future
Bolt found himself in the thick of a great 200m race in Lausanne in 2005, the fastest since the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. He clocked a World Junior record 19.88, a time that under any other circumstance might have won the race. But it was only good for bronze as Xavier Carter won in 19.63 and Gay finished second in 19.70 with Wallace Spearmon a close fourth in 19.90.
First with a burst
On April 11, 2004, Bolt sped to a superb 19.93 World Junior record making him the first, and to-date the only teenager to break the 20-second barrier. Knee and back injuries that year rendered him unable to defend his World Junior title in Grosseto.
Global impact
Although he dominated the World Junior scene, his rise to the senior ranks did not come easily. In 2003, Bolt was left off Jamaica's roster for the World Championships in Paris because officials felt that at age 17, he was not ready to compete on that level. At the 2005 Worlds in Helsinki, Bolt qualified for the men's 200m final but finished last in 26.27 seconds, almost six seconds out of seventh place. But Bolt made the most of his 2007 opportunity in Osaka, Japan, winning 200m silver in 19.91. Tyson Gay took gold in 19.85.
Home cooking
Bolt's road to success began when his country hosted the 2002 IAAF World Junior Championships. Rarely had a junior track and field competition produced the incredible scenes witnessed on July 19, when the tall 15-year-old won the 200m final in 20.65 seconds before a sellout crowd of 36,000 in Jamaica's National Stadium in Kingston. At 15 years and 332 days, Bolt became the youngest-ever male World Junior champion. Bolt holds the world age group records for 15- and 16-year-olds, and the World Youth and World Junior records.
Lightning strikes
Bolt, who signed his first professional contract at age 17, just out of William Knibb Memorial High School, is nicknamed "Lightning Bolt." Bolt has been running since age 10, when he was in primary school. His ascent to the top of the sprinting world actually began in the 80-meter hurdles, where he jumped each hurdle and still managed to win bronze at the Class Three Western Champs meet. Bolt was a cricket bowler when he was younger, but no longer plays the sport.

Beats by Bolt
Anyone who has seen him dance for the cameras following his victories knows that Bolt loves his music and dancing. During two stops on the 2010 Diamond League circuit, he served as a guest DJ at fan celebrations surrounding the meets. Before the Penn relays, he was asked what music is currently on his iPod and he explained that he has accumulated so much music that he now travels with a Mac Book solely for his music. He listens primarily to dancehall.

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