REVEALED: Scientists disclose whether Usain Bolt's record will ever be broken

3 months ago 119

Usain Bolt ran an insane 9.58 seconds to set a new world record in the men's 100m during the 2009 World Championships in Germany
No other person has ever dipped below 9.6 seconds in the sprint races, making fans wonder whether the record will ever be broken
Ahead of the 100m final at the Paris Olympics, we revisit how analysts previously analysed the times posted by the Jamaican star

Usain Bolt's world records will come under renewed focus when sprinters take to Stade de France for the 100m and 200m races in Paris.

World Champion Noah Lyles will lead a legion of medals hopefuls in the men's semi-final and subsequent final on August 3.

Noah Lyles, Paris 2024, Kishane Thompson, Usain Bolt

The American has repeatedly mentioned that he wants to break the world records Bolt set in 2009. The 9.58 seconds and 19.19 seconds in the 100m and 200m have remained untouched since.

Who will compete for 100m Olympic title?

Lyles will run in the event at the Paris Olympics alongside Kishane Thompson, the fastest man in the world this year. Others include Ferdinand Omanyala, Letsile Tebogo, and reigning champion Marcel Jacobs.

Only two other athletes, apart from Bolt, have ever run below 9.7 seconds, which raises the question of whether his record will ever be broken.

Can Usain Bolt's record ever be broken?

The Sports Biomechanics at the University of Bath conducted a study to determine if any current athlete could ever be faster than Bolt.

Scientists Polly McGuigan and Aki Salo believe a combination of genetics and training will one day see someone record a run of under 9 seconds.

"A muscle with a high proportion of large, fast-twitch muscle fibres will be able to generate larger amounts of force more quickly than a muscle with a lower proportion. It's safe to say that someone will break the nine-second barrier - not necessarily in our lifetime, but it will happen one day," they said, as quoted by Give Me Sport in the 2022 study."

However, the scientists noted that the times will start to plateau at some point, and it will become difficult to break the record, but they still expressed optimism that the record will be broken one day.

"It's safe to say that someone will break the nine-second barrier – not necessarily in our lifetime, but it will happen one day."

The fastest time in the world this year is 9.77 seconds, set by Thompson during the Jamaican trials.