If you’re a track and field sprinter, chances are Usain Bolt is the benchmark you aspire to match one day. The world’s fastest man continues to motivate thousands of runners from around the world to surpass his feats and America’s Noah Lyles is among the frontrunners to usurp the Jamaican’s throne one day. However, after his unfortunate loss at the Racer’s Grand Prix, Lyles has some introspection to do while Oblique Seville aims to rise up as the true successor to Bolt’s legacy.
Last weekend in Jamaica, Lyles was left in the dust by Seville after the latter picked up a major win in the men’s 100m race. While Lyles believes the gunman is to blame for his loss, Seville on the other hand is breathing down upon Usain’s record.
A recent post by Track Spice on X has listed the fastest endeavors by Jamaican sprinters each year over the last decade. Usain Bolt obviously claims the fastest time on the list with 9.79 seconds to his name, which he recorded at the 2015 Beijing World Championships. However, the startling fact is that Seville’s 9.82-second run at the Jamaica National Stadium last week stands as the second fastest time on the list.
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Jamaica has always been one of the most coveted countries when it comes to producing sprinting sensations. Among them, Usain Bolt, for obvious reasons, stays at the top of things. However, it seems like Lyles’ hopes of nabbing Bolt’s pot could be in jeopardy as Seville’s latest clocking surpasses even the American’s best time in the men’s 100m sprint.
Fastest Jamaican males for the last decade
2014 – Asafa Powell – 9.87
2015 – Usain Bolt – 9.79
2016 – Usain Bolt – 9.81
2017 – Yohan Blake – 9.90
2018 – Yohan Blake – 9.94
2019 – Yohan Blake – 9.96
2020 – Julian Forte – 10.03
2021 – Yohan Blake – 9.95
2022 – Yohan Blake – 9.85…— Track Spice 🌶️ (@trackspice) June 7, 2024
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While Seville is understandably hovering above cloud 9, more and more runners are eyeing to make Usain Bolt a name of the past. With the Olympics coming up, Bolt might have to keep a close eye on the tournament.
Noah Lyles & Co. not hesitant to reach for the stars
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After winning the Xiamen Diamond League, Christian Coleman made an explosive claim that many fans weren’t on board with. The three-time World Championships gold medalist said that the modern generation of sprinters is supremely capable and that he wouldn’t be surprised if any of them can actually surpass Bolt’s records in the coming days. While his statement was met with serious backlash, it does seem that recent days have become highly competitive. America’s Fred Kerley made bold claims of setting a new world record in the 100m sprint as well. On the other hand, Noah has been vocal about his wishes to bag four gold medals in Paris in all of the events he will participate in, a feat that even Bolt doesn’t have.
While Bolt’s best times are still considerably ahead of the rest, Coleman breaking the former’s 60m dash record at the NFL Combine last month has injected a breath of fresh breeze into the track and field community. Do you think Usain Bolt’s records are in any threat of being broken any time soon? Tell us more in the comments!