In the world of athletics, there are great athletes but then there are legends.Today we will discuss the life of one of the greatest athletes who totally dominated the track and field events in multiple international tournaments, including the Olympics. Yes, we are talking about one of the greatest sprinters ever from Jamaica, Usain Bolt.There are zillion things about this greatest sprinter that you never read about. From his beginnings and accomplishments to dozens of other interesting facts, here is a sneak peek into this champ’s life!Born on August 21, 1986. Usain St. Leo Bolt is a Jamaican sprinter who is applauded as the greatest sprinter to break all previous records. The world record holder in the 330 ft (100 m), 660 ft (200 m), and 4 x 330 ft (100 m) relay, bears the titles OJ, CD and, OLY. The former two are the orders of honor in the Jamaica system while the latter are the post-nominal letters granted by the World Olympics Association.Usain St Leo Bolt was born in Jamaica to parents Wellesley Bolt and Jennifer Bolt. His parents used to run a grocery store in the rural region of Jamaica whereas Bolt spent his time playing cricket and football in the streets. Bolt addresses his time in the streets as something that toughened him physically and prepared him for his future career as a sprinter. When it comes to his personal life, Bolt has been known to enjoy dancing and playing cricket with friends.When he was growing up, Bolt never would have thought that one day he would be the owner of nearly all the world records in the 330 ft (100 m) and 660 ft (200 m) racing events across the world. During his childhood, he enjoyed playing cricket and football, but during high school, he decided to change his focus from cricket to track and field events. He was so determined and driven, that he managed to win numerous gold medals, silver medals, world championships, and world records for the junior track and field events. This stupendous performance got the attention of the worldwide athletic community who started following his career more closely. During most of his career, he was suffering from various niggling injuries but he was still able to give his absolute best for any event that he participated in.Over the years, it seemed like Usain Bolt has managed to crack the secret of winning gold medals in every event he participated in. This is not an exaggeration as he won eight gold medals as the reigning champion in the 330 ft (100 m), 660 ft (200 m), and 4 x 330 ft (100 m) events during the 2008, 2012, and 2016 Olympics. At one point in time during the 2016 Olympics, he had managed to complete the historic triple-triple by winning the gold medals in three events that he participated in 330 ft (100 m), 660 ft (200 m), and 4 x 330 ft (100 m). But one of his teammates was tested positive for the consumption of performance-enhancing drugs and as a result, he was stripped of the gold medal in the team relay event. Otherwise, Bolt would have been the first athlete in the world to have nine gold medals from three Olympics.Not only the Olympics, the performances that Usain Bolt delivered during the world championships also helped him achieve the legendary status that he managed during his heydays. He is an 11-time world champion and has managed to win three titles in the 330 ft (100 m) and 660 ft (200 m) events at the World Championship competition. As a result, it is not a surprise at all that Usain Bolt is widely respected and regarded as the greatest sprinter of the era.Read ahead to grab a few fascinating facts about Usain Bolt, the fastest man in the world, Usain St Leo Bolt. Afterward, also check sports facts and Jamaica facts.HistoryWhile the legend has made history on more than one occasion, only a few people know about the history of Usain Bolt. How he managed to become the sensation that he has is an extremely interesting story. Here are some of the most important facts related to the life history of the Lightning Bolt.Did you know that Usain Bolt has suffered from scoliosis, in which legs are asymmetrical? Though there are no firm conclusions if it helped him or not, he has certainly moved forth not minding the obstacles. Have a quick peep into his personal life and beginnings here!Born in 1986 to grocers in rural Jamaica, Usain Bolt had an ordinary childhood in the Trelawny Parish.Usain Bolt represented his country in the first Caribbean regional event and won a silver medal for racing 1,320 ft (400 m) in 48.28 seconds and 660 ft (200 m) in 21.81 seconds. His debut on the world stage was in the IAAF World Youth Championships in Debrecen, Hungary. Though he couldn’t qualify for finals, he set new records with a personal best of 21.73 seconds. Lightning Bolt kept nailing the championships like that of CARIFTA and Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships where he met his scaling targets.Another fact that would leave you agape is that Usain Bolt had won the world championships at all levels; youth, junior and senior levels and is one of nine to have this record. Former Jamaican President applauded his talent and to fuel Lightning Bolt up for greater heights he arranged training for him and Jermaine Gonzales under the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association at the University of Technology in Jamaica.The 15-year-old but tall boy stood out among others in the 2002 World Junior Championships held in his home country. Here, he won the 660 ft (200 m) race in just 20.1 seconds, lifting him to the position of the youngest world-junior gold medallist ever. This was followed by four golds at the 2003 CARIFTA Games and the 2003 World Youth Championship. Around this time the Austin Sealy Trophy and IAAF, Rising Star Award in 2002 came in search of him. Usain Bolt’s performance in the Pan-American Junior Championship in 2003 is worth mentioning.In his homeland, Usain Bolt has enjoyed great popularity and became a national and international sensation. This however impacted his lifestyle as a young sprinter. It turned him reluctant of his career, focused on other games he was passionate about, partied in clubs, and compromised on dietary preferences. By compromising on a disciplined lifestyle, he had to put pressure on his natural ability to beat the cheetahs on track.With an astounding victory in World Youth and World Junior Championships, Usain Bolt hoped to reign over Senior World Championship in Paris. Around this time, Lightning Bolt had conjunctivitis aka pink eyes that made it tough for him to keep up with the training. Framing him young and inexperienced, the JAAA refused to allow him to participate in the event as they felt that he was not at a peak to be the flagbearer of the nation. However, on account of their performance in the 2003 seasons of Junior Championships, he was honored with the IAAF Rising Star Award. Dismayed and distressed, he got back to training to regain his vigor.AchievementsWell, put simply the achievements that Usain Bolt has garnered as a sprinter would be extremely tough if not impossible for any other track and field athlete to match. Over his career of almost two decades, he won numerous accolades in Junior Championships, World Championships, and the Olympic Games. Here are some interesting facts about the career achievements of Usain Bolt:The sprinter virtually re-wrote the records by regularly clocking under the 10-second mark for the 330 ft (100 m) event. Not only Olympic 330 ft (100 m) but he was equally incredible in the 660 ft (200m) events too.Usain Bolt Bolt stands out from other Olympians in umpteen ways. Usain Bolt is not only the eighth-time Olympic gold medallist but also the only sprinter to win Olympic 330 ft (100 m) and 660 ft (200m) titles consecutively thrice and raced for 4 x 330 ft (100 m) gold medals too.In the 2005 World Championship in Helsinki, Bolt was unfortunately met with injuries that challenged his dream to live up to the expectations. A car accident that year got Usain Bolt minor injuries and hampered his training schedule. Another hamstring injury in March 2006 added to the miseries. Again, he had no other option but to withdraw from the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. The same year, the IAAF World Athletics Final held at Stuttgart in Germany, gained Usain Bolt a bronze medal. The IAAF World Cup in Athens added laurels to his career life with a silver medal in spite of tough times that challenged his life and training alike.The 2007 World Championship held at Osaka won Usain Bolt a silver medal.Usain Bolt led off with the international debut in the 2008 World Olympics. In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, fully automatic time was made obligatory for the athletes and yet Bolt hit records to stand at the first and also brought home fame for a double sprint victory.In the 2009 World Championships, Usain Bolt hit the highest margin in the history of the game, gifting him his first World Championship gold. Usain Bolt busted the records after automatic timing was introduced by hitting the 330 ft (100 m) record of 9.69 with just 9.58 seconds in 2009.With an exception of 2011, Thunder Bolt won the World Championship eleven times, kicking off from 2009 till 2015. A ‘false start’, pushed him to disqualification and barred him from the game. It was a blow to him and his millions of fans worldwide.In the 2012 London Olympics, Usain Bolt trailblazed a record of 9.63 seconds in the 330 ft (100 m) gaining him a gold medal yet again.The World Championship at Moscow in 2013 added feathers to his crown with the regaining of his title as the world’s fastest man.In 2014, Usain Bolt was again met with hamstring injuries, and having recovered from surgery, he took part in the 4 x 330 ft (100 m) relay in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.At a speed of 9.81 seconds, Leo Bolt won the 330 ft (100 m) gold medal in his last Olympics held at Rio De Janeiro in 2016.This unquestionably makes him the most triumphant male athlete to override the World Championships. With three titles he had reigned the 330 ft (100 m) and was also the first to bag the World Championship titles in the 660 ft (200 m).Usain Bolt broke the 660 ft (200 m) world record twice and took Jamaica to great heights by winning over 4 x 330 ft (100 m) relay world records in a lightning record of 36.84 seconds in 2012. He mastered the 200-meter race with three Olympic and four World titles. Till 2021, until Erriyon Knighton surpassed the records Usain Bolt had the crown for winning records in the world under-20 and world under-18 championships.Usain Bolt won the gold medal in every event he participated in 2008, 2012, and 2016 Olympics. He set the Olympic record by completing the historic triple-triple in consecutive Olympics. Herein he won the Olympic gold medal in 330 ft (100 m), 660 ft (200 m), and 4 x 330 ft (100 m) events.Awards And MedalsWell, it is now commonly known that Usain Bolt won numerous medals in the Olympics but did you know that he won various awards in numerous World Championships? Read on to know more about the various awards and medals that he won during his illustrious career.His nickname ‘Lightning Bolt’ that the media admiringly gifted him, says it all. That’s all his achievements in a nutshell! Here are the few accomplishments he bagged in his zestful sports life!Bolt had got his mitts on IAAF World Athlete of the Year, Track and Field Athlete of the Year, Laureus World Sportsman of the Year, and the BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year.In 2007, Bolt broke the national 660 ft (200 m) record held for over 30 years by Donald Quarrie, and earned two silver medals at the World Championships in Osaka, Japan.In the 2017 World Championships, he retired by finishing third in the last solo 330 ft (100 m) race and was injured in the 4 x 330 ft (100 m) relay finals.Interesting Usain Bolt FactsWho doesn’t love to peep into the personal life of a much sought-after sportsman and when that person is Usain Bolt, the interest piques to another level altogether. Here are some of the most interesting facts about Usain Bolt and his achievements as a sprinter.Bolt is pictured as a calm and composed person and is known for his passion for basketball, dance, and music. In 2010, he played a reggae DJ set, native to Jamaica in Paris which unveiled his taste in music.Before racing, this Catholic harrier draws across, and evidently, the cross has never broken his faith! He also wears a devotional ‘miraculous medal’.With adoration for Waquer Yunis, Sachin Tendulkar, Chris Gayle, and Mathew Hayden, Bolt had a plan b to make a career as a bowler! Right from childhood, he was passionate about cricket.A documentary film featuring the remarkable athletic life of Bolt was released on November 28, 2018 in the UK, with the title ‘I am Bolt’. Directed by Benjamin Turner and Gabe Turner, the response to the film was nothing less to the heights of Bolt’s records!Usain Bolt can run at a speed of 23.7 mph (37.9 kph). This makes you believe that he has got magic legs!In the Beijing Olympics of 2008, Bolt hit the groundbreaking 330 ft (100 m) record with his shoe untied.When the qualifying time for an Olympian is 22 mph (35.2 kph), Bolt, who could run 27 mph (43.2 kph), was playing with the records!He owns a restaurant ‘Tracks and Records’ in Jamaica and a clothing line named ‘Bolt Collections’.Through advertising-endorsement deals with international brands like Puma, Vergin Media, Vis, Nisan, Hunlan, and Gatorade to name a few, and prizes, bonuses, and earnings from his business ventures, ThunderBolt has an estimated earning of 23 million USD a year. He is ranked among one of the highest-paid athletes in the world.Apart from the ‘Lightning Bolt’ and ‘Fastest Man’ titles, he has also nicknamed the ‘Bolt from the Blue’ for his inspiring athletic life.His notoriously famous victory pose soon became his signature pose that fans and followers soon inherited and imitated! This lightning pose that won popularity as ‘bolting’, was introduced during the Beijing Olympics of 2008, to show his gratitude to the millions of fans who prayed and cheered for him.Usain Bolt has the Guinness World Record of the Most medals won at the IAAF Athletics World Championships for the male events.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for get to know about the greatest sprinter Usain Bolt facts then why not take a look at Brazil sports facts, or 1920s sports facts.
In the world of athletics, there are great athletes but then there are legends.
