Fastest Man In The World

It’s only fitting that an individual named Usain Bolt is the fastest man in the world. Nicknamed “lightning bolt,” Usain is a Jamaican sprinter and three time World and Olympic gold medalist. Given Usain Bolt’s long lean figure and his natural athleticism, he was destined to be great.

Usain St. Leo Bolt was born August 21, 1986 in Sherwood Content, a small Jamaican town. From an early age, Usain fell in love with sports, specifically cricket and soccer. He had an athletic prowess from the very start and first showed potential as a sprinter by the age of 12 when he became that fastest kid in his primary school. While in high school Usain’s cricket coach noticed his speed and urged him to join the track and field team. It wasn’t long before he found success with sprinting.

Usain Bolt first made it to the world stage in sprinting when he competed in the 2001 IAAF World Youth Championships in Hungary. Although a young Usain Bolt failed to qualify for the finals he set a new personal best in the 200 meter event proving that he was pointed in the right direction. By the next year, Usain had grown to six foot five inches and physically stood out among his competitors. That year, he won the 200 meter event, making him the youngest world-junior gold medalist ever at the age of fifteen.

After continuous improvement through his high school career and with another gold medal in the World Youth Championships, Usain Bolt turned professional in 2004. After some early ups and downs in his career Usain earned a silver medal in the 2007 Osaka World Championships. This accomplishment allowed him to refocus on his profession and take a more mature and dedicated stance. In May of 2008, he set a world record in the 100 meter run, finishing with a time of 9.72 seconds. He was hitting his peak just in time for the 2008 summer Olympics, where he would compete in both the 100 and 200 meter events. Not only was Usain Bolt able to win gold in both events, but he also set world records in each run. In fact, if he hadn’t slowed down at the end of the 100 meter race to celebrate his time would have been even faster.

After Usain Bolt’s amazing performance at the 2008 Olympics, he solidified himself as not only the fastest man in the world but maybe the fastest man ever. He has only continued to prove this by winning the 2009 World Championships in both the 100 and 200 meter events, with times of 9.89 and 19.19 seconds. These times were fast enough to break his world records in each event, despite less than optimum conditions. With Usain Bolt’s natural athleticism, long stride, and newfound maturity he may continue to set records that no one alive today will ever see broken. He truly is the world’s fastest man.