Usain Bolt and the Top 20 Fastest Men in History (and the Top 20 100 Meter Dash Times)
Usain Bolt, the Fastest Man Alive and Ever, With His World Record 9.58 in the 100m Dash
Jamaica’s amazing and aptly-named Usain Bolt is the fastest man alive, and “the fastest human who’s ever lived.” His 9.58 in the 100 meter dash in Berlin in 2009 is the quickest recorded time in the event ever. Traditionally, the 100m race is employed as the bar for determining who are the fastest men in the world.
Listed below are the 20 fastest men in history, based on the 100m. It is a list dominated by Jamaicans, who are five of the seven fastest runners of all time. Tyson Gay, Maurice Greene and Justin Gatlin of the USA, and Donovan Bailey and Bruny Surin of Canada, complete the top 10. All 20 athletes made their marks between 1991 and 2012.
But these are not the fastest all-time 100 meter marks. Take a look at the second list below. These are the 20 fastest official 100m times ever. These 20 times are held by just five runners: Bolt, Gay, Asafa Powell, Yohan Blake and Nesta Carter. Four of these five hail from Jamaica, and they hold 15 of the 20 fastest times ever – and they will be sprinting again in the 2012 London Summer Olympics. Will a dent be made in these record times, or a new world record forged?
What about the ladies? They’re here, in Florence Griffith-Joyner and the Top 20 Fastest Women in History.
Thanks to iaaf.org!
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TOP 20 FASTEST MEN
| TIME | ATHLETE | FROM | RACE LOCATION | DATE | |
| 1. | 9.58 | Usain Bolt | Jamaica | Berlin | August 16, 2009 |
| 2. | 9.69 | Tyson Gay | USA | Shanghai | September 20, 2009 |
| 3. | 9.72 | Asafa Powell | Jamaica | Lausanne | September 2, 2009 |
| 4. | 9.75 | Yohan Blake | Jamaica | Kingston (NS), JAM | June 29, 2012 |
| 5. | 9.78 | Nesta Carter | Jamaica | Rieti | August 29, 2010 |
| 6. | 9.79 | Maurice Greene | USA | Athens | June 16, 1999 |
| 7. | 9.80 | Steve Mullings | Jamaica | Eugene, OR | June 4, 2011 |
| 7. | 9.80 | Justin Gatlin | USA | Eugene, OR | June 24, 2012 |
| 9. | 9.84 | Donovan Bailey | Canada | Atlanta, GA | July 27, 1996 |
| 9. | 9.84 | Bruny Surin | Canada | Seville | August 22, 1999 |
| 11. | 9.85 | Leroy Burrell | USA | Lausanne | July 6, 1994 |
| 11. | 9.85 | Olusoji A. Fasuba | Nigeria | Doha | May 12, 2006 |
| 11. | 9.85 | Mike Rodgers | USA | Eugene, OR | June 4, 2011 |
| 11. | 9.85 | Richard Thompson | Trinidad and Tobago | Port-of-Spain | August 13, 2011 |
| 15. | 9.86 | Carl Lewis | USA | Tokyo | August 25, 1991 |
| 15. | 9.86 | Frank Fredericks | Namibia | Lausanne | July 3, 1996 |
| 15 | 9.86 | Ato Boldon | Trinidad and Tobago | Walnut, CA | April 19, 1998 |
| 15. | 9.86 | Francis Obikwelu | Nigeria | Athens (Olympic Stadium) | August 22, 2004 |
| 15. | 9.86 | Keston Bledman | Trinidad and Tobago | Port-of-Spain | June 23, 2012 |
| 20. | 9.87 | Linford Christie | Great Britain | Stuttgart | August 15, 1993 |
| 20. | 9.87 | Obadele Thompson | Barbados | Johannesburg | September 11, 1998 |
TOP 20 FASTEST 100m TIMES
| TIME | ATHLETE | FROM | RACE LOCATION | DATE | |
| 1. | 9.58 | Usain Bolt | Jamaica | Berlin | August 16, 2009 |
| 2. | 9.69 | Usain Bolt | Jamaica | Beijing (National Stadium) | August 16, 2008 |
| 2. | 9.69 | Tyson Gay | USA | Shanghai | September 20, 2009 |
| 4. | 9.71 | Tyson Gay | USA | Berlin | August 16, 2009 |
| 5. | 9.72 | Usain Bolt | Jamaica | New York City, NY | May 31, 2008 |
| 5. | 9.72 | Asafa Powell | Jamaica | Lausanne | September 2, 2008 |
| 7. | 9.74 | Asafa Powell | Jamaica | Rieti | September 9, 2007 |
| 8. | 9.75 | Yohan Blake | Jamaica | Kingston (NS), JAM | June 29, 2012 |
| 9. | 9.76 | Usain Bolt | Jamaica | Kingston (NS), JAM | May 3, 2008 |
| 9. | 9.76 | Usain Bolt | Jamaica | Bruxelles | September 16, 2011 |
| 9. | 9.76 | Usain Bolt | Jamaica | Rome | May 31, 2012 |
| 12. | 9.77 | Asafa Powell | Jamaica | Athens (Olympic Stadium) | June 14, 2005 |
| 12. | 9.77 | Asafa Powell | Jamaica | Gateshead | June 11, 2006 |
| 12. | 9.77 | Asafa Powell | Jamaica | Zürich | August 18, 2006 |
| 12. | 9.77 | Tyson Gay | USA | Eugene, OR | June 28, 2008 |
| 12. | 9.77 | Usain Bolt | Jamaica | Brussels | September 5, 2008 |
| 12. | 9.77 | Asafa Powell | Jamaica | Rieti | September 7, 2008 |
| 12. | 9.77 | Tyson Gay | USA | Rome | July 10, 2009 |
| 19. | 9.78 | Asafa Powell | Jamaica | Rieti | September 9, 2007 |
| 19. | 9.78 | Tyson Gay | USA | London | August 13, 2010 |
| 19. | 9.78 | Nesta Carter | Jamaica | Rieti | August 29, 2010 |
| 19. | 9.78 | Asafa Powell | Jamaica | Lausanne | June 30, 2011 |
Photo: exelixeis.gr
Posted on July 31, 2012, in Olympics, Track and Field and tagged 100 meters, 100m, alive, asafa powell, dash, fastest, history, List, man, men, times, top, tyson gay, usain bolt, yohan blake. Bookmark the permalink. 1 Comment.
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