(Sports news) It has been 4 years since Usain Bolt announced his retirement from the sport. Having set the world records in the 100m and 200m category in 2009, Bolt’s record remains intact more than a decade later.  He set the Olympic record for the 100m in 2012 at London and set the 200m record even back further in 2008. Bolt has set a high benchmark for the present day athletes who have been struggling to match his level of speed and consistency. His record of 9.58 secs and 19.19 secs in 200m has been one of the most incredible records in the field of sprinting. Since then, nobody including Bolt has gone under 9.60 secs in the 100m and under 19.25 secs in 200m.

The sprinting world has been affected by doping many times since the testing was made compulsory. Christian Coleman has run the fastest time in the last five years, he ran 9.76 secs in 2019 but his doping ban ended a month back this year which caused him to miss the Tokyo Olympics. This year ,Trayvon Bromell ran the 6th fastest time in history when he equalled Coleman’s timing in september.

The current Olympic champion in the 100m category, Lamont Marcell Jacobs ran a time of 9.80 seconds which is far away from Bolt's record of 9.63 secs. Andre De Grasse, the 200m champion this year at Tokyo had a timing of 19.62 secs at the finish line as compared to Bolt who ran 19.30 at Beijing Olympics in 2008. Bolt’s 200m looks even more difficult to beat than his 100m record as no athlete has run under 19.50 secs other than Yohan Blake’s 19.26 run in 2011. Michael Johnson’s record of 19.32 secs at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics was the first time an athlete had run under 19.50 secs.

This year the fastest time in 200m has been by Noah Lyles, he ran in 19.52 seconds in August and the second fastest was by De Grasse at Tokyo Olympics. Lyles clocked 19.50 seconds in 2019 which has been the fastest in the last five years, also with Bolt’s departure, no athlete has been able to dominate both the events like he did. De Grasse won the gold in 200m and bronze in 100m in Tokyo, Fred Kerley has also been a fierce competitor in both the events with sub 10 and sub 20 timings this year. The 2022 season will be eagerly waiting to break records or come closer to breaking existing records.

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