So what about that slow start for tall sprinters? Bolt overcomes it - usually. The Jamaican covered his world record 100m in less than 41 strides, whereas the other finalists averaged almost 45, Krzysztof and Mero found. It's a devastating combination for his rivals, as once Bolt is in full flight, he can gain ground with every step. That's a full 20cm longer than that of most other competitors - but he maintains a high stride frequency. 8Īnd that stride length can average 2.47m. How does he do it? There is no simple answer but a study by Mackala Krzysztof and Antti Mero, published in the Journal of Human Kinetics, found his 6ft 5in (195cm) frame is one factor that gives him an advantage over other competitors.īeing tall is often regarded as a disadvantage for sprinters at the start of a race as it can limit the drive phase, when runners push forwards at an angle to gain acceleration.īut, the researchers say, by midway "Bolt's body height resulting in long strides makes it possible for him to maintain high speed for a longer time and decelerate at a slower rate than shorter sprinters". In 2016 he ran 9.81 for 100m and 19.78 for 200m - slow by his standards, but winning times nonetheless. His season's bests have slowed and he has raced less often. That said, age and injury have taken their inevitable toll on Bolt, who is now almost 31. He ran the second half of his 19.19 200m in in 9.26 seconds, and has clocked well under nine seconds several times in the 4x100m relay, with the fastest a blistering 8.65 in 2015. That equates to 27.66 mph (44.51 km/h) - about the same speed as a galloping horse.īut the Jamaican has covered 100m quicker than 9.58 seconds when given a rolling start. Bolt ran the fastest 10m of his 100m world record in a mere 0.81 seconds. Gatlin, Christian Coleman, Powell and Gay are the other athletes to have beaten Bolt in the 100m. 5įrom 2008 onwards, he has only ever been beaten once in the 200m - by compatriot Blake at the Jamaican National Championships in 2012.īlake also won the 100m at the same meet, one of only five times Bolt has failed to win at that distance in a major event. Carter has lodged an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport.īolt's World Championships career is blotted only by a bronze medal in London in 2017, and a false start in the 100m in Daegu, South Korea, in 2011 which meant an automatic disqualification. Rio 2016 saw him complete an unprecedented "triple triple" of consecutive Olympic gold medals in 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay - making him "immortal", in his own words.īolt has since lost the 2008 relay medal after team-mate Nesta Carter failed a retrospective drugs test - affecting the whole relay team. London 2017 aside, Bolt has won virtually every Olympic and World Championship race he has entered from 2008 onwards. Bolt excels in the 200m and is the only man to hold world records in both distances since the IAAF began utilising automatic timekeeping in 1977.Īt the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Bolt broke US sprinter Michael Johnson's 12-year-old 200m record of 19.32 seconds with a run of 19.30, before lowering it to 19.19 a year later in Berlin. 3Īnd of course, it's not all just about the 100m. Since Hines, another 124 men have beaten the 10-second mark.īut no-one except Bolt, fellow Jamaicans Yohan Blake and Asafa Powell, and Americans Justin Gatlin and Tyson Gay (highlighted on the chart) have run under 9.78 seconds.īolt himself has managed that an astounding nine times in total - more than anyone else.
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