Usain Bolt

Usain Bolt of Jamaica ran the 100 metres in 9.58 seconds at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, shaving 0.11 seconds off his own previous record. He peaked at about 44 km/h during the race.

Track records are re-checked after every major meet, so this one should be re-verified on a regular schedule.

Context

Bolt's 9.58 came in the final of the 2009 World Championships, run on 16 August in Berlin's Olympic Stadium. He beat his own 9.69 from the 2008 Beijing Olympics and cut a record he had set only the year before to 9.72 in New York. Record times are only ratified when wind is within the legal limit and the timing equipment meets the standards of World Athletics.

Electronic timing starts with a pistol-linked system and ends with a camera at the finish line. Reaction time is measured separately by sensors in the starting blocks, and Bolt reacted in about 0.146 seconds in Berlin, slower than many rivals. Splits show that he covered the distance in about 41 strides, fewer than most sprinters, thanks to his 1.95 m height.

Analysis of the race put his peak speed around 12.4 metres per second, or roughly 44.7 km/h, reached near the 60 to 80 m mark. As of this entry's verification the record stands as the fastest officially recognised, and no athlete has yet run faster over the distance in a ratified race.