Usain Bolt has been an Olympic fixture since his breakthrough performance at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, establishing himself as the fastest man in recorded history on numerous occasions and worldwide stages.
That said, the Jamaican runner will not be present at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, the first time since he first went to the 2004 Athens Games. For those who only follow track and field at the Olympic stage, this may come as a surprise, as he was still winning gold as late as the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. But he has been out of competition for quite some time.
Turns out, not even the aptly named Bolt is fast enough to outrun Father Time.
Here’s everything you need to know about Bolt, including his records in the 100- and 200-meter dashes and 4×100 relays, his Olympic medal history and more.
MORE: Full day-by-day schedule for 2021 Olympics
Is Usain Bolt in the Olympics?
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Bolt is retired and will not appear in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. He has not sprinted competitively since 2017.
His final Olympic appearance came in 2016, where he won three gold medals in the Rio Games. He did not retire until 2017, where he finished third in the men’s 100-meter dash. His final competition was as the anchor of Jamaica’s 4×100 relay, where he was forced to pull up due to a hamstring injury. He retired shortly after.
Usain Bolt’s records
Bolt has several records in the 100- and 200-meter dash events, as well as the 4×100 meter relay, all representing Jamaica (and breaking his own world records at least once):
100-meter dash (9.58 seconds)
Bolt first set the world record for the 100-meter dash in the 2008 Reebok Grand Prix in New York, running a 9.72 and beating reigning world champion Tyson Gay by over a second. Later that year he broke his own world record, this time at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, with a run of 9.69. Bolt broke his record a second time at the 2009 IAAF World Championships in Berlin with an absurd 9.58-second run. He also owns the Olympic record for the 100-meter dash: 9.63, set at the 2012 London Games.
150-meter dash (14.35 seconds)
Though not an Olympic event, the 150-meter dash record also belongs to Bolt: He ran it in 14.35 seconds at the 2009 BUPA Great City Games in Manchester, England.
200-meter dash: (19.19 seconds)
Bolt set his first world record for the 200-meter dash at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, running 19.30 and shaving .02 seconds off world record-holder Michael Johnson’s run of 19.32 seconds (set in the 1996 Atlanta Games). He turned around and shaved .11 seconds off his own record at the 2009 World Championships, turning in a run of 19.19 seconds. His Olympic record still stands.
4×100 meter relay: (36.84 seconds)
Bolt waited three years after his breakthrough at the 2008 Olympics to set the world 4×100 relay at the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, South Korea. He, Nesta Carter, Michael Frater and Yohan Blake set the world record at 37.04 seconds. That same team turned up to the 2012 London Games and ran a time of 36.84 seconds — a full fifth of a second faster than their previous mark. Those are the two fastest times in 4×100 relay history.
Usain Bolt’s top speed
Bolt achieved his top speed in the 100-meter dash at the 2009 World Champions: an incredible 27.7 mph.
How many medals did Usain Bolt win at Olympics?
Bolt has eight Olympic medals, all gold, to his name: Two in the 2008 Beijing Games, and three each in the 2012 and 2016 Games, in London and Rio de Janeiro, respectively:
2008 Beijing Olympics (two gold medals)
- 100-meter dash (9.69)
- 200-meter dash (19.30)
2012 London Olympics (three gold medals)
- 100-meter dash (9.63)
- 200-meter dash (19.32)
- 4×100 meter relay (36.84)
2016 Rio Olympics (three gold medals)
- 100-meter dash (9.81)
- 200-meter dash (19.78)
- 4×100 meter relay (37.27)
Usain Bolt’s net worth
Usain Bolt is worth an estimated $90 million as of 2021, per Celebrity Net Worth. If that estimate is accurate, it means he would have earned roughly $60 million in the three years after Forbes estimated his net worth at $31 million in 2018.