Five of Bolt’s memorable races

As Bolt brought down the curtain on his glittering career, HT takes a look at the five races that will remain etched in memory for long.

BEIJING 200M

Aug 20, 2008 Days after winning 100m in a then-world record 9.69sec, Bolt won over legions of new fans by sprinting to victory in 19.30sec, beating American Michael Johnson’s long-standing world record.

BERLIN 100M

Aug 16, 2009 After overcoming a false start in the semifinal, Bolt delivered his best-ever performance in 100m. He did not ease up and in 41 strides streaked through the finish line in a world record time of 9.58sec.

DAEGU 100M

Aug 28, 2011 The defining moment of the World Championships in South Korea was a false start by Bolt, gifting the 100m title to teammate Yohan Blake. The non-result is Bolt’s sole hiccup on the world stage.

RIO 100M

Aug 14, 2016 After winning two more World golds in 100m, he raced through to an unprecedented treble of 3 consecutive Olympic 100m gold, an amazing achievement considering injuries are part and parcel of athletics.

London 100M

Aug 5, 2017 He opted to compete solely in the 100m at the London Worlds in his swansong season. But the dream of a fourth title was broken by American Justin Gatlin, who has served two bans for doping.