Only two athletes have won two gold medals in the 100m at the Olympic Games. USA’s Carl Lewis first accomplished the feat with wins in the 1984 and 1988 Games while Usain Bolt repeated the feat when he stormed to the gold medal in 2008 and 2012.
No athlete has won three medals in the 100m, let alone the gold medal. Justin Gatlin may have been the first one to do so but a doping ban saw the American miss out on the 2008 Olympics.
Now, both Gatlin and Bolt will go head-to-head to create history. A podium finish for either athlete will rewrite the history books. But gold for Bolt will make him immortal and make him the undisputed fastest man in the world.
But will lightning strike thrice?
Is Bolt past his peak?
Ever since Glen Mills became Bolt’s coach more than a decade ago, right after a disappointing outing at the 2004 Games in Athens, Bolt saw an upward trajectory in his career. A record-breaking junior athlete with immense potential was suffering due to persistent injuries, especially his hamstring. New training regimes to improve his flexibility were introduced and plans to run the 400m were put on the back-burner.
The Jamaican sprinter initially started off as a 200m specialist. But Bolt’s attention soon moved to the 100m as well – but not until he completed the challenge of breaking the 200m national record before trying out for the 100m.
From then on, he was unstoppable. Bolt had a knack for winning gold medals on the big stage and wins at the World Championship and record-breaking runs at the Olympics only cemented his status as the world’s most supreme athlete.
However, in the past couple of years, Bolt has slowed down and not reached the world record marks he set. He currently holds both the Olympic record (9.63s in 2012) and the World Record (9.58s in 2009) but his recent marks are far from overshadowing those records.
Since the Olympic gold in 2012 with a time of 9.63 seconds, his time has fallen to 9.77s and 9.79s in the 2013 and 2015 World Championships. In 2016, Bolt has not bettered a time of 9.88s. Three athletes have run faster than Bolt this year – Gatlin and Trayvon Bromell (both USA) and Frenchman Jimmy Vicaut – with times faster than Bolt but not better than 9.80s.
His peak was arguably 2009 when he set a world record time not only in the 100m but the 200m as well. The 200m still seems to be Bolt’s best bet for a gold medal. The fastest time set this year was 19.74s and Bolt has not clocked a time over 19.70s in nine years.
“In the 200m it is easier. If you make a mistake then you can go quicker in the second half.” – Bolt
Bolt always rises to the occasion
A Grade 1 hamstring tear saw Bolt pull out of the Jamaican trials but still get a ticket to the Olympics. It was a move that saw Gatlin criticize his rival as American athletes who do not run at the trials are not allowed to compete at the Olympics – vastly different from Jamaican rules which grant an exemption in case an athlete is unfit.
“He’s injured, gets a medical pass, that’s what his country does,” Gatlin said. “Our country doesn't do that.”
However, Bolt shot back with a riposte of his own soon enough. “For me, I felt it was a joke, I felt it was a disrespect they think I'd back out of a trial,” Bolt said.
“I've proven myself year-on-year that I'm the greatest. I laughed when I heard it, I was disappointed, especially in Justin Gatlin.”
To simply bet on Bolt not finishing on the podium would be suicide if one were a gambler. The Jamaican sprinter lives for the big stage and while his rivals may look focused and concentrating on the task at hand, Bolt simply relishes the moment and lets himself go, releasing all the pent up tension before the race before he leaves the competition behind in startling fashion – as we have seen twice before.
If there is one thing he can do to improve his times is to start better. Bolt is infamous for starting off the blocks with a late reaction time. With his 6’5” frame, a good start goes a long way in finishing the race in first place as his long legs allow him to run the distance in fewer strides than his competition. At the London Olympics, he made five fewer strides than Gatlin on the way to the gold.
So what kind of time can we expect from the man defending his Olympic crown?
“I never try to predict times, because you never know what will happen,” Bolt said two days ago. “But for me the shape I'm in, I’ll say I'm in much better shape, so I think 9.6 seconds definitely.”
Come 15 August, the day of the 100m final, we will have our answer.
