Could Usain Bolt have Ran Faster - Why did he Peak aged 22?

[@iron2468]

People tend to forget that Bolt was often injured. He had so many engagements from Endorsements, to making appearances all over the world. He never got to train as much as he needed. I still believe that had he not false started in that 100m Final in Daegu at the World Championships that 9.58s would have fallen!

[@pena380]

The wind was too much agains't him I think he would run 9,7s with -1 wind. If the wind was +1 then the wr would been possible his start where so good. 2012 would been better chance for him but he failed the start unfortunately. He also was better fit in 2012.

[@cookiemonsteryummyyumz]

yeah with that 1.4m/s headwind no way was he breaking 9.58

[@malligrub]

I think the secret with him may have been related to his freakish size. He was so tall that maybe that lean-ness of youth, flexubility and reaction time is what allowed him to compensate for that size. Once he got a tiny bit heavier and less flexible with maturity, those freak times weren't biomechanically possible anymore. I wish he had the motivation to stick around and run just the 400m at the end, he would have still had peak 400m years in him and with his natural ability in the 400m,- running adult Olympic times as a 15yo and having the speed endurance that allowed him to challenge Van Niekirk and MJs times in the 300m without actually training for the 400m - he likely would have run well under 43s.

[@Planthier76]

Nice explanation !

[@DysfunctionNoMore]

Yes, a Bolt 400m would have been amazing. Increase the distance with age, up to marathons at 40. Makes sense, as the body can't be as explosive with age

[@grahamstrouse1165]

I think you’re onto something-partly, anyway. Bolt’s frame & connective tissues probably just couldn’t quite take the kind of pounding after 2010 or so. I would have liked to have seen what he could have done in the 400, too.

[@grahamstrouse1165]

@@DysfunctionNoMoreLet’s not get silly. He doesn’t have the body of a marathoner. It’s true that a goodly number of middle-distance runners evolve into elite marathoners as they age. Sprinters don’t. And Bolt REALLY hated distance running.

[@grahamstrouse1165]

I think it’s a stretch to suggest he could have run “well under 43s” if his body was already struggling with the demands of 100 & 200 but mid-43s. Probably. If he had focused on the quarter from an early age he might have well had a WR on him.

[@danejohnson8430]

I did not even know Usain Bolt until his World Record day when he ran 9.58. Little did I know that will be the last time I would see a truly motivated Usain Bolt in his prime. And He learned that he could have done even more later in life, but choose not to. I am glad that he did what he did because future competitors will know what to do and what not to do when they are in their prime.

[@alexhardy7711]

I think that a major factor in preventing Bolt from breaking the 2009 100m WR was the one false start rule implemented in 2010. Bolt's best performances were always during championships, but after his false start in Daegu, he played the acceleration step safe, especially in the 100m. I believe this was the case in the London Olympics, and if the new rule was not in effect he would've probably run, at slowest, 9.60, with a possible 9.57.

[@grahamstrouse1165]

I hate the one false start rule for two reasons. Firstly, the decision to make the cut-off for false starts 0.1 seconds was not something that was ever determined scientifically. It’s a guesstimate based on some pretty sloppy studies. Second, it just strikes me as pointlessly cruel. The rule used to be that you got a warning for your first false start. You had to false start twice before you were DQ’d. That always felt imminently more fair to me.

[@joegrinefine]

I was against the one false start rule initially until I see why it made sense….It eradicated all the senseless and needless false starts whether deliberate or otherwise due to mind-games,etc and unnecessary/protracted delays‼️

[@martinn4031]

I was thinking the same thing - I couldn't resist checking it out. Bolt's reaction time in Berlin 2009 was 0.146 and in London 2012 it was 0.165. Had he matched his Berlin 2009 reaction time in London, he would have ran 9.61. I must admit, I thought the gap would have been bit larger.

[@pena380]

​@@martinn4031bolt also slighly stumbed so that much cost him some milli seconds so below 9,58s was possible if he would had perfect race. Bolt also was only 90% fit in london due to injury before olympics.

[@geofr7178]

He “peaked” at 22 (almost 23) simply beacause he moved limits so far ahead on the rest in both 100 and 200m that other times he ran in the following years seemed to appear “normal”. They were not. He ran several times under 9.8”, once again in low 9.6”, many 200m under 19.6” and two under 19.5”. To sum up, in my opinion, he remained at an incredibly high level, but his peak was simply just too high to reach again.

[@Leonidas-eu9bb]

Generally the higher/better the performance the less sustained it is. This is a law of nature. His biological clock runs faster as of normal humans. When he peaked at 22/23 his body was more likley 25/26

[@knightseriou3258]

@@Leonidas-eu9bb that made zero sense 😂🤷‍♂️this man said the “law of nature”😂wtf lol ur cringe. Never heard of that law before 😂

[@ballerinChrist]

TEAM JESUS 💪 🙏 🕊 PRAISE THE LORD SPREAD THE GOSPEL ACCEPT HIM INTO YOUR HEART FOR ETERNITY BEFORE IT IS TOO LATe JESUS LOVES YoU❤

[@tkc403]

Perfectly said🙌🏾🙌🏾

[@samo6083]

@@knightseriou3258 he's right. Animals that mature quicker fall off quicker. Wolves for example peak at 2-3 and fall off very fast after that

[@starsail85]

Honestly - looking back at this era , it’s pretty clear there was some serious substance assistance amongst all of the elite 2007-2012

[@bobfred1282]

Injury setbacks. Also seem to have lost his start more so in the later years compared to his world record days. If he had an ok start in his 9.63 run that would’ve been a world record definitely

[@pena380]

He took it probably safely because the false start in daegue. He had actually his best starts in 2011.

[@jonjoe21194]

The biggest improvement in his technique came from 07-08. After that he just needed to keep in optimal shape, seems like he lost a bit of sharpness in 2010

[@JohnSmith-yn9ie]

When he started taking drugs

[@testingsomething5280]

@@JohnSmith-yn9ie you're a real comedian

[@TheSk8erGamer]

@@JohnSmith-yn9ie Why didn't you improve after taking drugs?

[@JT-km6th]

@@JohnSmith-yn9ie more like his diet went to shit.

[@RokDidakovicRoky]

His trainer glen mills in one interview once said that the key to improving from season 2007 to 2008 was his long gym off season which got him bigger and stronger

[@martintownsend6694]

Very good video, deserves more credit than its got so far 👏

[@riverwood_creations]

Usain played it smart. He could have went for the outlandish records and solidified his unbreakable records even further, but in the end he still would have won gold anyways. His career would have been cut in half if he had gone for the record every time. Besides, in the next half century when his records are broken, the one thing that the next generation of world-class sprinters won’t be able to take away from him are his gold medals.

[@pena380]

He should went them for in 2012 trained harder at the start and maybe able to avoid injury too which would make him 100% fit for olympics. He could smashed then both records. I imagine high 9,4s for 100m and low 19s for 200m would been possible for him if he was 100% fit.

[@fender1000100]

No never he was flat out as it was. 19.19 will go before 2040. 9.58 will not go in our lifetimes. If you are 20 now and you live to 80. 9.58 will still be standing.

[@thwompchild8474]

He did peak early but he still holds the world records for the 100m and 200m

[@grahamstrouse1165]

Most short sprinters tend to peak in their early to mid-20s. (I’m not saying, btw, it’s impossible for sprinters to peak at later ages or that every 100/200 sprinter who continues to run well into their early or mid-30s is a doping. I’m saying that Bolt peaking at a young age & then dropping off in his late 20s is actually quite common for sprinters.)

[@Cowboy0707]

It’s crazy he’s so far ahead of everyone else and arguably didnt reach his full potential 💀

[@SgtCrypto]

He was only as fast as his competition. Whenever someone was close to him, he puts it another gear. In my opinion

[@laughingbird]

He’s carrying around a lot of size for such a sport and he had a back issue too.

[@toututu2993]

He is just there to win not for records. Age slows him down mentally not physically. End of story.

[@marfu1119]

Bolt could of ran faster, but after 2009, he had a lot of injuries but he still manages win more Olympics and World Championships gold medals. He ran 9.63 and 19.30 in London which is faster than what he ran in Beijing although many would say his 9.69 in Beijing could of been a 9.52 had he not slowed down. His times were 9.7s after 2012

[@malligrub]

No, his 10m splits show his Beijing WR time would also have been the same as London - 9.63s.

[@pena380]

Bolt was only 90% doing those times

[@YoNickSoko]

Usain was so ahead of his time it’s unreal. To this day the gap between his 9.58 to Blake and Gay’s 9.69 is huge. I’m sure if other athletes were running times close to 9.58 at that time he could’ve gone faster, but the man in his prime was so far ahead of the entire world.

[@TerrifyingSaviourGOO]

Its blake and gays 9.69

[@Tommy29004]

The gap isn't as massively big when accounted for wind speeds though. He had a 1.4m/s tailwind when he ran 9.58, which equates to roughly 9.63/9m64 with no wind. That would actually make his 9.63 he ran in London his pb as I think he ran it into a very slight headwind. Yohan blakes 9.69 was ran with basically no wind so they're really not as far back as you might think.

[@Yes_I_c4n]

@@Tommy29004 Man, you got almost everything wrong... Bolt ran his 9.58s with a +0.9 m/s wind speed. Bolt ran his 9.63 s with a +1.5 m/s wind speed. The difference was huge... The faster you ran, the harder it is to reduce a 0.05s to your time, let alone 0.1s... Running a 9.58s requires a near perfect 0...60 m @ 6.31s and an insanely fast 60...100 m split @3.27s. Compare that to Yohan's splits and you'll find Yohan got 6.34s and 3.35s. Watch Bolt's 9.69 s race, he ran that with 0 wind and showboated the last 10/15 m. Compare that to the 9.69s Yohan got and tell me the difference isn't huge... Also Yohan ran at an altitude, so his time would convert to 9.70s at close to sea level.

[@pena380]

​@@Yes_I_c4nbolt had much slower start in 2012 though. That wind would helped him to break wr though if he would have better race while only being 90% fit.

[@416yaadie]

I think he didn't work as hard after 2009 because of all the outside commitments also if he would have broken the records again it would have been 2011 but the conditions in Daegu wasn't ideal for fast time. It was cool and the races was ran in a negative wind. 2012 if he had work harder earlier in the season I think he could have broken the 100m record because his start in 2012 wasn't as good as 2009. I believe the first 30m is the difference in 2009 world record compare to 2012 Olympic win

[@pena380]

Bolt was injured in 2012 so he didn't get full fit for olympics. But still he could beat both records. 100m he messed up the start and had slight stumble. The 200m he didn't go all out because the injury still bothered him he actually slowed down in the straight already. He would at least get very close in 200m if he gave his all.

[@416yaadie]

@@pena380 Bolt wasn't fully fit before the Olympics trials in 2012 because he wasn't working as hard. After the Olympics trials he said it himself that's the hardest ever work to prepare for the Olympics and he was fully fit for the London Olympics and if the weather was warmer he would have broken the 100m record and the 200m record would have been close if he didn't ease up at the end to celebrate!

[@pena380]

@@416yaadie the 100m the start was reason why he didn't beat the record or equal it. It might actually been because someone throwed that bottle and bolt even in recent interview mentioned that bothered him bit. After 200m bolt said he was not enough fit. He ran the bend full speed but knew he would not beat the record so he slowed down the "whole straight" because the injury still bothered him. I think he still would have chance he ran that close at least he would ran low 19,20s.

[@jasoncruisejr]

I feel like his 200 could have easily been sub 19 if he changed his race strategy. He would often go all out and die at the finish. Bolts splits are much closer together than Lyles proving that if he had run a more conservative curve, he would have a must faster finish.

[@gmaxsfoodfitness3035]

Early mistake I noticed. The average age of the last 10 Olympic 100m champions is 26 (25.9 to be precise) not 24.

[@toututu2993]

Is more of how well you train and motivation

[@gmaxsfoodfitness3035]

@@toututu2993 What are you talking about? That doesn't have anything to do with the mistake Sprint Speed Media made when they said the average age of the last 10 Olympic 100m champions was 24 years old which I pointed out was incorrect.

[@hiranom20]

The answer is simple: injuries got the better of him after 2014, and he had set the bar so high, that there was no point again. It's a hard ask in general to be top your own self. Case in point; the only time since the 9.58 he was close to that time in the century was when he ran 9.63 in London when he was pushed. That time is good enough to be a world record if his Berlin effort didnt happen.

[@pena380]

And bolt overstride in the line last 3 steps trying to beat the record. So without that 9.63s would been 9.59s. He also had slower start and miss stepped on his transition but that maybe because he was under bigger pressure than when he ran 9.58s. False start rule probably make him take the start more safely. Maybe he could done 9.55s in london ideally. Commentators pointed out it was cold as well which cost him record...

[@hiranom20]

@@pena380 Perhaps. These are good points. Bolt was still in his prime in 2012.

[@pena380]

@@hiranom20 yeah bolt strained his angle few weeks before olympics so he also was only 95% fit but that was enough that he could beat the records at least 100m. In 200m his back was causing issues and he slowed down bit. He could still broke the OR though rather easily. Without that angle strain 100% fit bolt would break both records even if he would made mistakes. He started year 9.76s -0,1 wind vs 2008 9.72s +1,7 wind. Adjusting wind 9.76s is much better and equals 9.65s with +1,7 wind.

[@wyzzkyd.]

its not if he can run 9.4 he already did that out here in training in Jamaica. its the reason why he knows. My dad and his coach know he had the capability to break the 19 barrier but his will to train and the little injury did kill his vibe. It was a pleasure seeing him at an early age from he went to the western championship for schools At Rusea's High School. 1 year before he started to dominate the track event at National Boys and girls championships in Kingston. I knew he would be special and so it came to path, A legend in this Era for all to see.

[@astrospeedcuber]

It's true that bolt never had a perfect 200m race, whether it be weather conditions, training, injuries or race execution. If he had just gotten one really good race he could absolutely have run under 19 seconds - I mean he destroyed the world record at 22 while struggling after the bend...

[@grahamstrouse1165]

Ah…no.

[@satishm5260]

I think the record can only be broken if somebody is born into a runner's body shape. He must have to be lean and long legs with most muscles comprised in his hips and thighs. Also, he should be in this age bracket 19-25.

[@MA-ck4wu]

Could Usain Bolt have Ran Faster -> Could Usain Bolt have *Run* Faster (The past participle of ''run'' is ''run'').

[@DG-iu8ck]

Honestly I don't think he peak in 2008 and 2009 i think Honestly he would have run faster but because no one was even close to him there was no one to really push him to faster times

[@Trackreator]

In order to truly beat him overall and become the fastest ever, the next champion has to: • Replicate the triple triple without going banned one single time in all his carreer • Win 12 champ golds • Own those 3 WR • Own and win an astonishing number of important-meeting records

[@ABLQuality]

We all have to agree that he probably could have broke the WR again if he trained really hard

[@grahamstrouse1165]

So he was just being lazy then?

[@pena380]

​@@grahamstrouse1165yes and no 2010 had no championships so bolt had no motivation to train himself fully fit and he got bad injury because lack of training. Which affected his 2011 championship form but he was close enough that he could get records in better conditions he ran 200m from lane 4 which is not good for bolt. He should keep just practising getting in form and participate in race where yohan ran 19.26s would pushed bolt to ran faster and that track has wider bend. 2012 bolt looked getting back in form but he had injury before olympics I don't know would him training harder help to prevent that he was actually motivated get 100% fit.

[@cookiemonsteryummyyumz]

I think Bolt not improving past his 2009 feats is nature's way of preventing the sport from being broken 😂 imagine we get a 9.49 and 18.99.... we will be getting a situation worse than flojo, not to say that it is already somewhat like that right now for the men

[@simonjakefrances6433]

If he was in 2008 shape in 2009, he would have

[@solcharms]

Fastest man in the world is that cameraman at 2:05

[@ikhowaka1471]

From age 20 every ten years a man looses testosterone level. . Muscle strength and aggression fall... affecting performance.

[@Gatlin777]

He can improve his time but he don't want it so much that to continue a hard work.He want a party life

[@afrobuddy4801]

he stiil won everytime just didn't break his wr

[@simonjakefrances6433]

I feel he would have broken it again but only yohan, Justin, Tyson were the only ones that could push him but he defeated them so where's the competition? Asafa pushed him as well but who else was running 9.6?

[@tankeater]

0:25 the average age was NOT 24... It was 26 years old 🤣🤦‍♂️

[@TpolTime]

In 2009 in felt inevitable that he'd run sub 9.5

[@edef33]

Great video!

[@tomo_385]

People are so delusional, there was no way in hell he was getting 9.4x or breaking 19 seconds in the 200m, do people realise how astronomically fast that is? I don't think the current fastest 10m splits would equate to a 9.4x as he can only save 0.05 seconds at the start and that's it, his 60-100m splits are pretty much the fastest in history (9.4x is possible if you include wind-aided splits and a 0.1 reaction time). Sub 19 in the 200m requires a 10-second flat opening 100m and 8.99 final 100m, no one has gone under 9.1 for the second 100m in the 200m. So you expect him to run the opening 100m at the same time he did in both his 200m world record runs and then run over 0.2 seconds faster in the second 100m? Don't act dumb, both marks weren't going to be achieved, the sub-19 200m seems more achievable but way out of his reach. 2009 Usain Bolt was the best Bolt we saw, no one can tell me otherwise, his 100m world record is almost perfect, his start was the best of his whole career and he finished faster than anyone has ever done. Case closed, I hate when people say "What if Bolt didn't slow down" or "he had more potential". Shut up, you know nothing about track and field, how could Bolt himself or any track and field commentator/expert say he could run 9.4x when the fastest 10m splits ever recorded don't even qualify for that?

[@garyproffitt5941]

Speed vs age and that is it genius Usain Bolt.

[@malligrub]

One of the other wildly underestimated things with times is the conditions they are set in. Bolt's best performances were unfortunately set with quite average to poor conditions. His Berlin times were night races on fairly crisp evenings after several rounds of running, they were often run into headwinds with only the London 9.63 getting a nice +1.5ms wind. You can take his 9.58 or celebration affected 9.69 and optimize wind conditions, reaction time, altitude and put it on one of these magic carpet new tracks like the recent Oregeon WCs one and you can get that time all the way down to about 9.35 -9.40 without any extra improvement in the running performance itself. Even with just a wind and altitude change it could have been 9.45,

[@razor_ramon_]

Don't forget about training improvement over the years.

[@monsieurLDN]

​@@razor_ramon_such as?

[@razor_ramon_]

@@monsieurLDN such as drag - free running, ask Lamont Marcell Jacobs

[@monsieurLDN]

@@razor_ramon_ just because it's flashy doesn't make it an improvement.

[@razor_ramon_]

@@monsieurLDN sure

[@drexplordinaire]

hmm nothing is forever

[@dhnsh1843]

Tall athlete peak early

[@keithnone6860]

Maybe not in that run he got of fast and was 1st threw the whole 100 yards.

[@keithnone6860]

Usain bolt is one of the worst starters in track pro history but by mid way his long legs and he got speed picks up and it's like he wins cuz he the tallest with long legs. In a 40 yard dash he would probably come last

[@grahamstrouse1165]

He wasn’t a great started but he wasn’t that bad, either. The fact that Bolt, at 6-5, was even an average started for the 100m is really quite extraordinary. Also, I don’t know where you get the idea that Bolt would “come last” in a 40 yard dash. Bolt ran a very casual 4.22 40 in 2019 wearing sweat pants & sneakers. There are almost certainly other elite sprinters who could have beaten Bolt in the 40 at their/his peak, but the idea that he was a slow starter is silly.

[@dscide7996]

I remember all the talk about him running 9.4 next after he hit 9.58 The next summer I was excited thinking Bolt was gonna be running at another Championship but didn't realize the World Championship wasn't being held in 2010, that was a disappointing end to the summer

[@tkc403]

Then he went and got himself disqualified in 2011🤦🏾‍♂️😓

[@timmytheinventor4746]

Damn, how did you not know Worlds was biennial?

[@Mdksupreme1]

​@tkc403 Then went and dominated every single race until he retired

[@jesmesHD94]

The 200m WR will be under threat. Not the 100, nobody is running 9.63 let alone sub 9.6

[@razor_ramon_]

Nobody even went sub mid 9.7! The Five Wizards of Track And Field are no joke!

[@testingsomething5280]

@@razor_ramon_ It's funny how it's my first time reading 'The five wizards' and I know exactly who you're talking about. Those guys were great

[@grahamstrouse1165]

I tend to agree.

[@Mdksupreme1]

The 200m record will MOST DEFINITELY NOT be at threat anytime soon AT ALL

[@stevemann1299]

​​@@razor_ramon_ Neither was there drug cycle. The reason nobody is going under 9.76 now is because drug testing is so sharp. Nobody can get by. So what we are seeing now. Is the true progression of progress by humans in the hundred metres. And not the freakish times the big 5 produced with PEDS...

[@laughingbird]

Daegu 2011 would have been another 100m WR if it wasn’t for a false start. He was in supreme shape. Those false start rules were Bs

[@TheoOJamaloO1]

Nope the headwind was too strong.

[@reecea5432]

Because he had one leg shorter than the other. This causes injuries.

[@Banks394]

Look how fast he ran, no human is going to run that fast for a long span. That’s probably why his speed although clearly was unmatched really it steadily declined slightly. Probably wouldn’t even be a good idea to keep running that damn fast 💨 tens plus years. Dude was really fast of course we all know that, But I would think it’s different things to consider with that. Plus he was a natural sprinter.

[@MrZealot1]

Watch out for Tebogo... This youngster may break the world record.

[@416yaadie]

Her gotta work on his technique. With that technique I don't see him doing too much at major championship

[@grahamstrouse1165]

Not holding my breath…

[@IiDHOPE]

👀

[@chi_chi_1]

Great video. 👍🏾