Usain Bolt reveals the one sad reason why he was unable to beat his own 100m world record

Olympic legend Usain Bolt has revealed the tragic reason why he was never able to break his iconic 100m world record.

In May 2008, Bolt wrote his name in to history when he ran a 100 metre sprint in a breathtaking time of 9.72 seconds at the Reebok Grand Prix in New York, setting a new world record.

Just three months later, the Jamaican decided he could do even better, winning gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics with a time of 9.69 in the 100m final

But Bolt had one more world record in him, as he improved on his time even further at the 2009 World Athletics Championships in Berlin, setting the current world record time of 9.58.

Since then, no human on planet earth has managed to best Bolt's time, despite attempts from the likes of Noah Lyles, Tyson Gay and Yohan Blake.

Trayvon Bromell and Fred Kerley have come closest with both men finishing a 100m race in 9.76, but Bolt himself is convinced that he could have gone even faster if not for one sad reason.

While speaking on The Fix podcast earlier this month, the 38-year-old confessed that he believes he would have broken his record during the 2011 had he not been plagued by injuries.

“If I hadn’t got injured in the season, I would have broken the record again,” he insisted.

“That year, I was floating. I was running very well and the coach was excited. It was the first time I heard him say we were going to race and break the world record.”

Usain Bolt is still regarded as one of the best athletes of all time. (Image: Getty)

Bolt had a tough year in 2011, with injuries forcing the eight-time Olympic gold medallist only race sporadically throughout the year.

The retired legend was then asked to offer his view on if his record is unbreakable or if it is possible that someone could step forward and run 100m faster than 9.58 seconds.

"Anything is possible. Track and field is evolving fast with the new spikes, everything changes. It’ll take some work but records are records," Bolt replied.

“Oblique (Seville) can do it, If he can stay fit through the season and get it right, he can do it because I’m sure there’s something there, the ability to do it."