Featured Image Credit: allysonfelix
Topics: Usain Bolt, Athletics, Olympics
James Taylor
Usain Bolt is not used to seeing any of his various athletics records taken from him but he was forced to come to terms with losing one of them to a female sprinter.
The 38-year-old Jamaican remains the the fastest man in history and one of the greatest athletes of all time but he no longer holds one of his records.
His 100m world record of 9.58 seconds, which he set at the World Championships in 2009 still stands out as one of the sport's most iconic achievements.
During his illustrious career, he claimed eight Olympic gold medals, becoming the first sprinter to win both the 100m and 200m at three consecutive Games.
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Bolt also won 11 World Championship gold medals, setting the record for the most at the time.
In 2019, Allyson Felix broke Bolt's record when she returned to competition just 10 months after giving birth, when she formed part of Team USA in the mixed-gender 4x400m relay.
She added another gold in the women's 4x400m relay at the championships in 2019 and again in 2022, before announcing her retirement.
Her career finished with 14 world championships and seven Olympic gold medals, making her one of the greatest athletes of all time.
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In October 2019, just weeks after she broke Bolt's record, Felix took to Instagram and posted a picture with herself alongside the Jamaican.
She wrote: "He said he wanted to talk about some medal count record or whatever."
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The pair continued to publicly joke about the record, when they joined together in an advert for Sam's Club.
Bolt said: "Fastest shopper of all time, did you see?"
Felix replied: "What did you say?
"I couldn't hear you over the clinking of all medals."
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The moment showed the mutual respect and humour between two of the sport's biggest names.
Possibly one day but there are no immediate threats to her record.
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The nearest challenger is Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce but she is currently four golds behind the American and is expected to retire soon.
Fellow American sprinter Noah Lyles may be one to watch.
He has six gold medals at the moment but is already 28 years old.
If he stays injury-free and is able to perform both individually and in relays, then he may be able to challenge Felix's record.
But a key factor behind the record is the strength of Felix's American relay team, which helped her win several medals.
For now, her place at the top of the table looks safe.