Also the world record holder from 2009 in the 200 at 19.19, which is still the record as well.Usain set the world record for 100 meters back in 2009....9.58. Nobody has come close since.
That 16 years is pretty close to a 'generation' of sprinters...wonder if the record holds for another
generation...or two?
Maybe in about 12 years, if Olympia goes the basketball route, we'll recruit her as a Gabby 2.0.By the way, I assume that the jersey that Paige is signing is for Bolt’s 5-year old daughter, who is aptly named Olympia Lightning Bolt……![]()
Crazy thing is he could have run faster.....he eased up and started celebrating with nearly 10 meters to go...Usain set the world record for 100 meters back in 2009....9.58. Nobody has come close since.
The next two closest times are......Bolt's.Usain set the world record for 100 meters back in 2009....9.58. Nobody has come close since.
That 16 years is pretty close to a 'generation' of sprinters...wonder if the record holds for another
generation...or two?
(She has the 200 from 1988 also.)Bolt also has a son named Thunder.By the way, I assume that the jersey that Paige is signing is for Bolt’s 5-year old daughter, who is aptly named Olympia Lightning Bolt……![]()

One reason, major sports federations and the like have upped their game on testing.Usain set the world record for 100 meters back in 2009....9.58. Nobody has come close since.
That 16 years is pretty close to a 'generation' of sprinters...wonder if the record holds for another
generation...or two?
There’s no way to know for sure. But I separate FloJo from Bolt. FloJo was an average sprinter for many years when she began showing incredible improvements leading up to the 1988 Olympics under the direction of coach Bob Kersee, who developed a reputation over the years as a “steroid coach.”Rocky: think you are correct. In fact there was 'some' controversy about Bolt's 2 world records in such a small time period back in 2009.
And there was a great deal of controversy about Flo's 2 world records back in 1988.
Bolt also had a great coach. Other sprinters talked about how Bolt was able to turn it on in the last third of the race. Not so, said his coach, he taught Bolt to give just a little less than 100% in the first 30, then he could keep that up for a full 100 or 200, and the other sprinters couldn’t. So he wasn’t speeding up, they were slowing down.Bolt, on the other hand was a childhood prodigy in sprinting rich Jamaica as a teenager. He was also a “freak of nature” at 6’5”. No Olympic sprinting champion had ever been that tall. The key to Bolt’s championships was his ability to get up to top speed within about 30 meters and then simply reel in the rest of the field with his incredibly long strides.
There have never been any credible charges of steroid use against Bolt. In fact, he was one of the most outspoken athletes against the use of performance enhancing drugs. As for FloJo, there will always be suspicions associated with her performance.
Crazy thing is she can probably own the event for several more years. Seems like she's been around forever, but she's still only 28 and still in her prime for a distance swimmer.Thread drift, as I didn’t want to start a new one: Katie Ledecky just won the 1500m free at the worlds. It’s been 15 years since she’s lost a 1500 race. That’s four years longer than Edwin Moses’s streak in the 400 hurdles. WOW!
When it comes to competitive swimming, Katie Ledecky is ancient at 28. The intense regiment of daily training, diet and rest required to be a “world class” swimmer is what eventually leads many swimmers to hang up their goggles. Ledecky has been swimming competitively for an amazing 22 years. I’m guessing that the LA Olympics will be her last hurrah. But you never know.Crazy thing is she can probably own the event for several more years. Seems like she's been around forever, but she's still only 28 and still in her prime for a distance swimmer.
Top 25 times all-time in the women's 1500m free:
View attachment 110865
I feel like for shorter distance, like the 400 and 800m she used to dominate, yeah she's past her prime. But the longer distance 1500/3000m, I still think she can compete for golds for a couple more Olympics. If she competes in 2032, she'd be 35 but since she's been so head and shoulders above everyone else I bet she'd still be able to challenge for gold even in her advanced years. Just a matter of if she would want to put herself through those additional years of training with little left to prove.When it comes to competitive swimming, Katie Ledecky is ancient at 28. The intense regiment of daily training, diet and rest required to be a “world class” swimmer is what eventually leads many swimmers to hang up their goggles. Ledecky has been swimming competitively for an amazing 22 years. I’m guessing that the LA Olympics will be her last hurrah. But you never know.
I think Ledecky is still one of the best 400/800 swimmers in the world. However, there are a number of young swimmers who are now competitive, including Canadian Summer McIntosh.I feel like for shorter distance, like the 400 and 800m she used to dominate, yeah she's past her prime. But the longer distance 1500/3000m, I still think she can compete for golds for a couple more Olympics. If she competes in 2032, she'd be 35 but since she's been so head and shoulders above everyone else I bet she'd still be able to challenge for gold even in her advanced years. Just a matter of if she would want to put herself through those additional years of training with little left to prove.
If anyone can defy (or at least delay) Father Time's effects, it's Ledecky! I guess during her winning 1500m swim this week, her 800m split would have been the 13th fastest 800m time ever recorded in the event. And she was ahead of world record pace in the 1500m until the last few laps.I think Ledecky is still one of the best 400/800 swimmers in the world. However, there are a number of young swimmers who are now competitive, including Canadian Summer McIntosh.
When it comes to competitive swimming, Katie Ledecky is ancient at 28. The intense regiment of daily training, diet and rest required to be a “world class” swimmer is what eventually leads many swimmers to hang up their goggles. Ledecky has been swimming competitively for an amazing 22 years. I’m guessing that the LA Olympics will be her last hurrah. But you never know.
Re the first quote, Katie had this to say yesterday: “I really love it. I think I’m going to retire really loving the sport. It’s going to be hard for me to step away — someday. Not anytime soon."I think Ledecky is still one of the best 400/800 swimmers in the world. However, there are a number of young swimmers who are now competitive, including Canadian Summer McIntosh.
I think the only 2 times she hasn't won a sanctioned 1500m race is because she didn't compete: she missed 1 race due to illness, and another event she chose to skip to focus on Olympic training. She's never lost a 1500 she's competed in since she was 13.Re the first quote, Katie had this to say yesterday: “I really love it. I think I’m going to retire really loving the sport. It’s going to be hard for me to step away — someday. Not anytime soon."
The second: She took the bronze at the worlds, and has the 800 coming up, I think, on the last day. Her 800 m split in the 1500 race yesterday was 8:09.85, which would have won the last Olympics. It also happens to be a hundredth faster than the personal best of her closest competition, Summer McIntosh of Canada.
Being local to where she went to high school, I probably saw the results of the meet when she started her unbeaten string in 2010. It was obvious then that she was something special, but I couldn't have imagined that she'd be unbeaten for over half her life.
Well then, I need to eat a healthy dose of humble pie! Another 800m world title for Ledecky!I feel like for shorter distance, like the 400 and 800m she used to dominate, yeah she's past her prime.
Imagine if what time he could’ve gotten if he didn’t let up slightly in the last 10mThere’s no way to know for sure. But I separate FloJo from Bolt. FloJo was an average sprinter for many years when she began showing incredible improvements leading up to the 1988 Olympics under the direction of coach Bob Kersee, who developed a reputation over the years as a “steroid coach.”
Bolt, on the other hand was a childhood prodigy in sprinting rich Jamaica as a teenager. He was also a “freak of nature” at 6’5”. No Olympic sprinting champion had ever been that tall. The key to Bolt’s championships was his ability to get up to top speed within about 30 meters and then simply reel in the rest of the field with his incredibly long strides.
There have never been any credible charges of steroid use against Bolt. In fact, he was one of the most outspoken athletes against the use of performance enhancing drugs. As for FloJo, there will always be suspicions associated with her performance.