Could Usain Bolt Have Run Faster with Today's Technology?

Tokyo, Sep 11 (NationPress) Usain Bolt is convinced that, had he utilized today's cutting-edge carbon-plated "super-spikes", he could have achieved a staggering 9.42 seconds in the 100 meters.

The legendary Jamaican sprinter established his remarkable 9.58-second world record at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, surpassing his prior best of 9.69 from the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Astonishingly, his record has endured for 16 years, outlasting Jim Hines’s 9.95 mark from the 1968 Mexico City Games by two years.

According to research from Puma, the brand that supported Bolt throughout his illustrious career, he could have completed the 100 meters in 9.42 seconds with today's innovative sprinting footwear. In a statement made ahead of the World Championships in Tokyo, Bolt endorsed this claim, remarking, "I fully agree."

He added, "Someone who continued after I retired was Shelly-Anne Fraser-Pryce and I saw what she did - she got faster with the spikes," referring to the advancements in sprinting technology. "I probably would have run way faster if I'd continued and if I knew that spikes would have reached that level, maybe I would have, because it would have been great to compete at that level and running that fast."

Kishane Thompson dazzled at the Jamaican championships in June with a remarkable 9.75-second run, the fastest 100m time in the past decade, placing him sixth on the all-time list. Despite the rise in performances, Bolt remains untroubled about his enduring world record.

"I think the talent is there and those who are coming up will do well but, at this present moment, I don't think they will be able to break the world record," Bolt stated confidently.

Since Bolt's retirement in 2017, after securing six Olympic golds and seven world titles in both the 100m and 200m, no Jamaican man has clinched a global sprint title. The last was Bolt himself, who completed the 100m and 200m double at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Thompson narrowly missed ending that drought last year, finishing just five-thousandths of a second behind Noah Lyles in the Olympic 100m final. However, Bolt believes this weekend in Tokyo could finally mark a breakthrough, with either Thompson or fellow Jamaican Oblique Seville poised to shine.

"I think we have a very good chance this year. Kishane and Oblique have really shown this season that they're performing exceptionally well. I'm eager to see them compete, and hopefully, I'll have the opportunity to present the gold medal to one of them," he expressed.