Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Usain Bolt, Jamaica, Athletics
Ryan Smart
Usain Bolt would have achieved his dream world record if plans for an athletics 'super track' had been approved during his career.
The Jamaican set an 100-metre world record time of 9.58 at the 2009 World Athletics Championships, beating the 9.69 he set at the Beijing Olympics a year earlier.
He also smashed the 200-metre record at the same competition, running a stunning time of 19.19.
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No other athlete has ever broken either of those records in the 16 years that have passed since - but that could potentially change in the not-too-distant future.
The Telegraph reported in March that a Cambridge-based laboratory has designed what they say is the world's 'first digital smart track'.
It is believed that the track, which will use sensors that can provide a 'raft of real-time data' and 'an energy return that is some 20 per cent greater than existing tracks'.
'Positive' talks have been held between the laboratory, co-designers Feldspar and World Athletics over the potential ratification of the track.
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Should it be used in competition, athletes could break the sub 19-second barrier for the first time in history, and go as low as 17 or 16 seconds in the most extreme cases.
Bolt is now comfortably into his retirement, having hung up the spikes for the final time after the conclusion of the 2017 World Championships.
But he revealed while competing that his biggest dream was to become the first athlete to run under 19 seconds in the 200 metres.
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Speaking in September 2014, Bolt said: "Everybody wants to see the 100m go, but the 200m is for me.
"If I can get a perfect season where I'm working well, without any injuries, with no time off, I'll definitely have the chance to break the 100m world record."
He continued: "The 200m is my personal focus. One of my biggest goals is to try to run sub-19, pushing the barrier a little bit will be great for me."