• 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
Scientist revealed 'secret advantage' Usain Bolt had allowing him to break world records

Home> Athletics

Updated 17:19 26 May 2025 GMT+1Published 17:09 26 May 2025 GMT+1

Scientist revealed 'secret advantage' Usain Bolt had allowing him to break world records

The reason why the Olympic legend dominated sprinting for his whole career has been revealed.

Ben McCrum

Ben McCrum

Featured Image Credit: Getty

Topics: Usain Bolt, Athletics, Olympics

Ben McCrum
Ben McCrum

Ben is a sports journalist who specialises in football and MMA. He has written for publications such as Manchester Evening News, WiganToday, Manchester World and beIN Sports. Throughout his career he has interviewed top athletes in MMA including Tom Aspinall and Michael Bisping.

X

@benmcc14

Advert

Advert

Advert

A top scientist has explained the secret advantage that allowed Usain Bolt to dominate the track and break several world records during his career.

With eight Olympic gold medals and three world records to his name, there can be no doubt that Bolt is the greatest sprinter of all time.

Perhaps most famously, the Jamaican set the world record for the 100m sprint in Berlin with a time of 9.58 seconds, before claiming the record in the 200m with a time of 9.19 in 2009 and the 4x100m record at the London 2012 Olympics with a team time of36.84 seconds.

Advert

Since his retirement in 2017, many athletes have attempted to break each of Bolt's records, and yet, more than a decade later they all remain in place.

Usain Bolt set his 100m world record in Berlin in 2009. (Image: Getty)
Usain Bolt set his 100m world record in Berlin in 2009. (Image: Getty)

But two years before he called time on his legendary career, Bolt's ability to dominate the sport and break so many world records was analysed by sports scientists at Loughborough University.

Explaining what made Bolt so quick, Dr Sam Allen told the BBC in 2015: "Elite sprinters don't swing their legs any faster than recreational runners.

Advert

"Elite athletes generate so much more power, owing to the fact they naturally have more fast-twitch muscle fibres. These elite athletes therefore spend a lot less time on the ground which results in them being propelled forward much quicker."

Allen explained that the fastest sprinters tend to spend about 60% of the time in the air, with neither foot touching the ground, while amateurs athletes are closer to 50%.

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

However, when compared to his fellow elite athletes, Bolt's ability still stands out as extraordinary, partly due to his height.

Advert

"Bolt is a genetic freak because being 6ft 5ins tall means he shouldn't be able to accelerate at the speed he does given the length of his legs," explained former Great Britain sprinter Craig Pickering.

"At the beginning of a race you want to take short steps in order to accelerate, but because he's so tall he can't do that. But then when he reaches top speed he has a massive advantage over everyone else because he's taking far fewer steps."

Ultimately, both men agreed that Bolt's almost supernatural sprinting ability was clearly a combination of his natural ability, genetics and determination to be the best.

Choose your content:

9 hours ago
2 days ago
3 days ago
4 days ago
  • 9 hours ago

    Teenage sprinter who is 'better than Usain Bolt at same age' has important six word message he tells himself every day

    A teenage sprinter who has already breached some of Usain Bolt's junior record has an important message that he reminds himself ever day.

    Athletics
  • 2 days ago

    3D simulation shows how Noah Lyles vs Tyreek Hill race would finish as Olympic star pulls out of challenge

    The pair have fired back and forth on social media after Lyles pulled out of a 50-yard race.

    Athletics
  • 3 days ago

    Usain Bolt won 100m gold medal in unique style after USA rival's finish line comment came back to haunt him

    Usain Bolt secured the gold medal in the 100m race at the 2008 Olympics

    Athletics
  • 4 days ago

    Olympic star could break historic athletics record nobody thought possible with 3D printed 'flysuit'

    She is aiming to break her own world record.

    Athletics
  • Usain Bolt could lose all of his world records if controversial loophole is exploited by rivals
  • Usain Bolt made his feelings clear on radical plan to strip him of every world record including 100m time
  • Usain Bolt had ice cold reaction after losing 100m race at 2012 Olympic Trials to Yohan Blake
  • Usain Bolt won 100m gold medal in unique style after USA rival's finish line comment came back to haunt him