Usain Bolt’s Take on Super Spikes and His Unbreakable 100m Record
Usain Bolt, the sprint king from Jamaica, thinks he could have shattered his own world record even more with today’s cutting-edge tech. Imagine this: the legend who clocked 9.58 seconds in the 100m back in 2009 might have hit an incredible 9.42 seconds if he’d worn modern carbon-plated super spikes.
Bolt set that iconic 100m world record at the Berlin World Championships, beating his previous 9.69 from the 2008 Beijing Olympics. What’s wild is that it’s held strong for 16 years now – longer than Jim Hines’s 9.95 from the 1968 Mexico City Games, which lasted 14 years. No one has touched Bolt’s mark yet, even as sprinters push limits with better gear.
Puma, the brand that geared up Bolt during his glory days, ran some research showing how those high-tech sprinting shoes could shave time off his run. Ahead of the World Championships in Tokyo, Bolt didn’t hesitate. "I fully agree," he said with a grin.
He pointed to fellow Jamaican star Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who kept racing after his 2017 retirement and got quicker thanks to advanced spikes. "I saw what she did – she got faster with the spikes," Bolt shared. "I probably would have run way faster if I’d kept going. And if I’d known spikes would reach this level, maybe I would’ve stuck around. It would’ve been awesome to compete and run that fast."
Fast forward to now, and Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson is turning heads. In June, he blazed 9.75 seconds at the Jamaican championships – the quickest 100m time in the last decade, landing him sixth on the all-time list. But Bolt isn’t sweating his record just yet. "The talent is there, and the young guns will shine," he said. "Right now, though, I don’t think anyone will break the world record."
Since Bolt hung up his spikes after grabbing six Olympic golds and seven world titles in the 100m and 200m, no Jamaican man has won a global sprint crown. Bolt was the last, nailing the 100m-200m double at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Thompson came oh-so-close last year, missing gold by a hair – just five-thousandths of a second behind Noah Lyles in the Olympic 100m final. Bolt sees hope for Jamaica this weekend in Tokyo. He believes Thompson or Oblique Seville could end the drought. "We have a strong shot this year," Bolt said excitedly. "Kishane and Oblique have shown they’re on fire this season. They’ve clocked fast times, so it’s about nailing the execution. I’m pumped to head to the stadium and watch. Fingers crossed, I get to hand the gold to one of them!"
As the World Athletics Championships heat up, all eyes are on these Jamaican speedsters and whether super spikes will finally challenge Bolt’s legendary 100m world record. Stay tuned for more sprint action from Tokyo.
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