• Football
  • Boxing
  • UFC
  • Home
  • Football
    • England
    • Transfer News
    • Premier League
    • Champions League
    • Lionel Messi
    • Cristiano Ronaldo
    • EA FC 25
    • Wrexham
  • Boxing
    • Tyson Fury
    • Anthony Joshua
    • Oleksandr Usyk
    • Mike Tyson
    • Jake Paul
    • Logan Paul
  • UFC
    • Dana White
    • Conor McGregor
    • Khabib Nurmagomedov
    • Jon Jones
    • Paddy Pimblett
    • Joe Rogan
  • Other Sport
    • Athletics
    • Formula 1
    • MMA
    • Motorsport
    • NBA
    • Darts
    • NFL
    • Snooker
    • Wrestling
    • Tennis
    • Cricket
    • Golf
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • UNILAD
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube
Usain Bolt's 100m world record was 'beaten' by his toughest opponent but didn't officially count for one reason

Home> Athletics

Updated 22:59 5 May 2025 GMT+1Published 16:56 5 May 2025 GMT+1

Usain Bolt's 100m world record was 'beaten' by his toughest opponent but didn't officially count for one reason

A sprinter once beat Bolt's record but had a significant advantage.

Ryan Smart

Ryan Smart

Usain Bolt's 100-metre world record was once beaten by a sprinter he described as his 'toughest' opponent - but the time didn't count as an official record.

Bolt ran a time of 9.58 at the 2009 World Athletics Championships at Berlin, smashing a record that he had only set himself three years earlier.

The Jamaican clocked a 9.69 in the Olympic final at Beijing 2008, and his time of 9.63 in the final four years later in London means he holds the three quickest 100-metre times in athletics history.

In 2011, Bolt's former rival Justin Gatlin did beat 9.58 while appearing on a Japanese TV show - though there was a significant technicality.

While appearing on 'Kasupe!', Gatlin was challenged to run the 100 metres faster than Bolt - with the assistance of wind machines that went up to 25m/s.

Advert

That meant the time was ran in about an illegal a tailwind as you could possibly have, barring the middle of a natural disaster.

You can see Gatlin's 'record-breaking' run below.

In comparison, Bolt's record saw him run in winds of +0.9m/s - meaning that in equal circumstances, his record would have been much faster.

Advert

Gatlin's achievement was recognised by the American receiving a Guinness World Record plaque on the show, although the time of course didn't count.

Bolt once described a race involving Gatlin as the 'hardest race' he had ever been involved in after battling back from an injury.

The American won a silver medal behind Bolt by a hundredth at the 2015 World Athletics Championships, with Bolt stating afterwards: "Coming back from injury I've had a lot of doubters, it's been tough.

"For me to come to the championships and defend my title is a good feeling. I definitely think this was my hardest race. I've been through a lot this season."

Featured Image Credit: Getty

Topics: Usain Bolt, Athletics, Jamaica

Ryan Smart
Ryan Smart

Live in constant hope of the top flight as a Preston North End fan. Written in the past for SPORF, GiveMeSport and more.

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

an hour ago
a day ago
  • Getty
    an hour ago

    Olympic Champion Disqualified for ‘Dirty Tactic’ in World Championships

    An appeal was unsuccessful, with the Olympic champion absent from the 1500m final.

    Athletics
  • Getty
    an hour ago

    Why Mondo Duplantis Picked Sweden Over USA Despite Being Born in Louisiana

    Mondo Duplantis was born in the United States but represents Sweden.

    Athletics
  • World Athletics
    a day ago

    Oblique Seville Wins World 100m Title With Stunning Time as Bolt Prediction Comes True

    Seville won Jamaica's first world crown since 2015 in Tokyo.

    Athletics
  • Getty
    a day ago

    Noah Lyles Brutally Calls Out 100m Rival With ‘Panic’ Comment

    Noah Lyles made a brutal comment in his post-race interview after winning his 100m heat at the World Athletics Championships.

    Athletics
  • Usain Bolt's world record 100m time was 'beaten' by his toughest opponent but 'illegal' run never made it into the record books
  • Sprinter believes he could have beaten Usain Bolt's 100m record but suffered incident before race
  • Usain Bolt Told The Time He Would Have Run 100m In With Super Spikes
  • Usain Bolt Could Lose 100m World Record if World Athletics Approves Rule Change