Career Timeline of Usain Bolt: Major Achievements and Milestones

Discover the career path of Usain Bolt, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.

Usain Bolt, a retired Jamaican sprinter, is widely regarded as the greatest sprinter of all time. He achieved remarkable success, winning eight Olympic gold medals. Bolt holds the world records in the 100 metres (9.58 seconds), 200 metres (19.19 seconds), and 4 × 100 metres relay (36.84 seconds). His dominance and record-breaking performances have solidified his place as a legendary figure in athletics.

Sections (5)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles

1984: Reference to Carl Lewis's Olympic Double Win

In 2008, Bolt aimed to emulate Carl Lewis's double win at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics by winning gold in the 200 m event.

1988: Carl Lewis Defends Sprint Title

In 1988, Carl Lewis was the first man to successfully defend an Olympic sprint title, a feat later duplicated by Usain Bolt in 2012.

1991: Mike Powell's World Record

In 1991, Mike Powell set the world record in the long jump with a distance of 8.95 metres.

1996: Reference to Michael Johnson's World Record

In 2008, as Bolt aimed to win gold in the 200m event, Michael Johnson believed that his own world record of 19.32 s set at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta would remain unbroken.

2001: IAAF World Youth Championships

In 2001, Usain Bolt made his first appearance on the world stage at the IAAF World Youth Championships in Debrecen, Hungary. Running in the 200 m event, he failed to qualify for the finals, but he still set a new personal best of 21.73 s.

2001: First High School Championships Medal

In 2001, Usain Bolt won his first annual high school championships medal, taking the silver medal in the 200 metres with a time of 22.04 seconds.

2001: CARIFTA Games Silver Medals

Representing Jamaica in his first Caribbean regional event in 2001, Bolt clocked a personal best time of 48.28 s in the 400 metres in the CARIFTA Games, winning a silver medal. The 200 m also yielded a silver, as Bolt finished in 21.81 s.

2002: World Junior Championships Gold Medal

In 2002, Usain Bolt won the 200 m in a time of 20.61 s at the World Junior Championships held in Kingston, Jamaica, becoming the youngest world-junior gold medallist ever. He also took two silver medals and set national junior records in the 4 × 100 metres and 4 × 400 metres relay.

2002: Signed sponsorship deal with Puma

In 2002, after winning the 200 m title in the World Junior Championships, Usain Bolt signed a sponsorship deal with Puma.

2003: Senior World Championships in Paris

In 2003, Bolt beat all comers at the 200 m in the World Championship trials, but suffered from conjunctivitis. The JAAA refused to let him participate in the Senior World Championships in Paris, on the grounds that he was too young and inexperienced. He was awarded the IAAF Rising Star Award for the 2003 season.

2003: Jamaican High School Championships

In 2003, Usain Bolt competed in his final Jamaican High School Championships, breaking the 200 m and 400 m records with times of 20.25 s and 45.35 s, respectively.

2003: 2003 CARIFTA Games and World Youth Championships

In 2003, Usain Bolt won four golds at the CARIFTA Games and was awarded the Austin Sealy Trophy. He also won a gold at the 2003 World Youth Championships, setting a new championship record in the 200 m with a time of 20.40 s.

2004: Improvements in Performance

By 2004, Usain Bolt had continued to improve his performances, and he reached the world top-5 rankings.

2004: Shawn Crawford's Olympic Champion Performance

In 2004, Shawn Crawford, the Olympic champion in Athens, watched Bolt and felt like he "was in a video game" due to Bolt's incredible speed.

2004: 2004 Athens Olympics

In 2004, Usain Bolt headed to the Athens Olympics with confidence and a new record. However, he was hampered by a leg injury and was eliminated in the first round of the 200 metres with a disappointing time of 21.05 s.

2004: Turns professional and sets world junior record

In 2004, Usain Bolt turned professional, beginning with the CARIFTA Games in Bermuda where he became the first junior sprinter to run the 200 m in under twenty seconds, taking the world junior record outright with a time of 19.93 s. He was awarded the Austin Sealy Trophy for the most outstanding athlete of the 2004 CARIFTA Games for the second time.

2005: 2005 World Championships in Helsinki

At the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki, Usain Bolt suffered an injury in the final, finishing in last place with a time of 26.27 s.

2005: New Coach and Attitude

The year 2005 signalled a fresh start for Usain Bolt in the form of a new coach, Glen Mills, and a new attitude toward athletics. Bolt began training with Mills in preparation for the upcoming athletics season.

March 2006: Hamstring injury and withdrawal from 2006 Commonwealth Games

In March 2006, Usain Bolt suffered another hamstring injury, forcing him to withdraw from the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.

2006: Focus on Experience and Longer Distances

In 2006, Bolt focused on gaining experience, particularly in the 200 m, and aimed to compete more in both 200 m and 400 m events over the next two years. He achieved a personal best of 19.88 s at the 2006 Athletissima Grand Prix in Lausanne, Switzerland, earning a bronze medal.

2007: Silver Medal at the World Championships

At the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Japan, Bolt won a silver medal in the 200m with a time of 19.91 s, with a head wind of 0.8 m/s.

2007: Plans to move up to the 400 m event

By 2007, Peart and Mills stated their intentions to push Bolt to do longer sprinting distances with the aim of making the 400 m event his primary event.

2007: First Major World Medal and National Record

In 2007, Bolt won his first major world medal, a bronze, at the IAAF World Athletics Final in Stuttgart with a time of 20.10 s. He also won a silver medal at the IAAF World Cup in Athens with a time of 19.96 s. Later, at the Jamaican Championships, Bolt broke Don Quarrie's 36-year-old Jamaican record in the 200 m with a time of 19.75 s.

2007: Silver Medal in Relay and Improved Technique

In 2007, Bolt, along with Asafa Powell, Marvin Anderson, and Nesta Carter, won a silver medal in the 4 × 100 metres relay at a major tournament setting a national record of 37.89 s for Jamaica. Despite not winning gold at the major tournaments in 2007, Coach Mills felt that Bolt's technique was much improved.

2007: 2007 World Championship Silver Medal

In 2007, Usain Bolt won a silver medal at the World Championship.

2007: 4 x 100 m relay at the 2007 World Athletics Championships

In 2007, at the World Athletics Championships, Usain Bolt was beaten at a major championship for the first time since the 4 × 100 m relay.

2007: Increased Desire to Sprint

In 2007, the silver medals from the Osaka World Championships increased Bolt's desire to sprint, and he took a more serious, mature stance towards his career.

May 2008: Second-Fastest Time in History

On May 3, 2008, Bolt ran a time of 9.76 s at the Jamaica Invitational in Kingston, the second-fastest legal performance in the 100m event's history at the time.

May 2008: First sub-10-second performance

On May 3, 2008, Usain Bolt achieved his first sub-10-second performance in the 100m.

May 2008: New 100 m World Record

On May 31, 2008, Bolt set a new 100 m world record at the Reebok Grand Prix in New York City, running 9.72 s. Gay finished second in the race.

June 2008: Start of 200m Undefeated Streak

From June 12, 2008, Usain Bolt began a streak of 17 undefeated finals in the 200m.

June 2008: Response to Lazy Athlete Claims and Focus on 200 m

In June 2008, Bolt responded to claims that he was a lazy athlete, saying the comments were unjustified and stemming from his lack of enthusiasm for the 400 metres event.

August 2008: Start of 100m Win Streak

From August 16, 2008, Usain Bolt started a win-streak covering 14 100m finals.

2008: Beijing Olympics Double Sprint Victory

At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Usain Bolt gained worldwide fame for his double sprint victory in world record times, making him the first person to hold both records since fully automatic time became mandatory in 2008.

2008: Gold medal from Beijing Olympics

At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Usain Bolt won a gold medal.

2008: Record-Breaking Relay at the Summer Olympics

At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Usain Bolt and the Jamaican 4 × 100 m relay team set a world record of 37.10 s.

2008: Beijing Games

At the Beijing Games in 2008, Bolt won gold, that was later stripped due to a teammate's doping violation in January 2017.

2008: ÅF Golden League and Jamaican Dominance

At the end of the 2008 athletics season, Bolt competed in the ÅF Golden League, beginning in Weltklasse Zürich. At the Super Grand Prix final in Lausanne, Bolt ran his second-fastest 200 m with a time of 19.63 s. Bolt's final event of the season came three days later at the Golden League final in Brussels where he won the 100m race with a time of 9.77 s.

2008: Plans to move up to the 400 m event

By 2008, Peart and Mills stated their intentions to push Bolt to do longer sprinting distances with the aim of making the 400 m event his primary event.

2008: Gold at the 2008 Summer Olympics

In 2008, Bolt was part of the Jamaican relay team that won gold at the Summer Olympics with a time of 37.10 seconds, although the result was later voided.

2008: Winning First Olympic Gold Medal

In 2008, Bolt won his first Olympic gold medal. Following the race, his chest slapping before the finish line was seen as showboating, but Bolt denied he was bragging.

2008: Gold Medal in Relay and Donation to Sichuan

In 2008, Bolt, along with teammates Nesta Carter, Michael Frater, and Asafa Powell, won gold in the Jamaican 4 × 100 metres relay, breaking another world and Olympic record with a finish of 37.10 s. Following his victories, Bolt donated US$50,000 to the children of Sichuan province in China to help those harmed by the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.

2008: Olympics 4x100 Metre Title

In 2008, Jamaican team won the Olympics 4x100 metre title.

2008: Puma campaign for Olympic glory

In 2008, Puma released a series of videos promoting Bolt's chase for Olympic glory at the Beijing Summer Olympics, including footage of his record-setting run in Icahn Stadium. During the 2008 Beijing 100 m final, Bolt wore golden Puma Complete Theseus spikes.

2008: 200 Metres World Record

In 2008, Usain Bolt set a 200 metres world record, setting 19.30 seconds.

2009: New 100 m World Record at World Championships

At the 2009 World Championships in Berlin in August, Bolt set a new world record in the 100 m with a time of 9.58 s to win his first World Championship gold medal. He set the fastest speed a human has ever ran with a top speed of 12.32 m/s.

2009: World Championship Gold Medals

From 2009, Usain Bolt consecutively won World Championship 100 m, 200 m and 4 × 100 metres relay gold medals.

2009: 150 metres world best

In 2009, Bolt set the 150 metres world best and during the race ran the last 100 metres in 8.70 seconds.

2009: Season Start and Car Accident

In 2009, Bolt started the season competing in the 400 metres to improve his speed. In late April 2009, Bolt suffered minor leg injuries in a car crash. He recovered, winning the 150 metres street race at the Manchester Great City Games and also took the 100 and 200 m titles at the Jamaican national championships.

2009: New 100m World Record

In 2009, Usain Bolt improved upon his second 100 m world record of 9.69 with 9.58 seconds – the biggest improvement since the start of electronic timing. He also set a new 200 metres world record of 19.19 seconds in 2009.

2009: World record in 100 metres and 200 metres

In 2009, Usain Bolt set a world record of 9.58 seconds in the 100 metres, and a world record of 19.19 seconds in the 200 metres at the World Championships in Athletics in Berlin.

July 2010: End of 100m Win Streak

On July 16, 2010, Usain Bolt's win-streak of 14 100m finals concluded.

2010: Possible 400 Metres World Record Attempt

Following the 2008 Olympics, in 2010 Bolt suggested that he could aim to break the 400 metres world record since no major championships were scheduled that year.

2010: Season Runs and Achilles Tendon Problem

In 2010, Bolt ran the 200 m in 19.56 seconds in Kingston, Jamaica. Later, at the Golden Spike meeting in Ostrava, his 30.97-second run in the 300 metres event resulted in an Achilles tendon problem.

September 2011: End of 200m Undefeated Streak

On September 3, 2011, Usain Bolt's streak of 17 undefeated finals in the 200m ended.

2011: Disqualification at the World Championships

At the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, Usain Bolt was disqualified from the 100 metres final due to a false start.

2011: Post-Championships Performance

Following the World Championships in 2011, Bolt ran 9.85 seconds for the 100 meters to win in Zagreb, before setting the year's best time of 9.76 seconds at the Memorial Van Damme.

2011: World Championships in Athletics

In 2011, Bolt was part of the Jamaican relay team that set a world record time of 37.04 seconds at the World Championships in Athletics.

2011: Previous World Record

In 2011, Usain Bolt and his team set a previous world record that was broken in 2012.

2011: 100 m False Start

In 2011, Usain Bolt had a 100 m false start at the World Championship.

2011: Undefeated Season

In the 2011 season, Bolt was undefeated in both the 100 and 200 meter races. He started the season with wins in Rome and Ostrava in May. In June 2011 in Oslo, he ran his first 200 m race in over a year, achieving a world-leading time of 19.86 seconds.

2012: London Olympics Gold Medal

At the 2012 London Olympics, Usain Bolt won the 100 metres gold medal with a time of 9.63 seconds, improving upon his own Olympic record. With his 2012 win, Bolt became the first man to successfully defend an Olympic sprint title since Carl Lewis in 1988.

2012: Early Season and Jamaican Athletics Championships

In 2012, Bolt began the season with a leading 100 m time of 9.82 seconds in May. At the Jamaican Athletics Championships, he lost to Yohan Blake in both the 200 m and 100 m races.

2012: End of Season Wins

In 2012, Bolt ended his season with wins on the IAAF Diamond League circuit, and had 200 m wins of 19.58 s and 19.66 s in Lausanne and Zürich before closing with a 100 m of 9.86 s in Brussels. The latter run brought him his first Diamond League title in the 100 m.

2012: 2012 Summer Olympics

In 2012, Bolt was part of the Jamaican relay team that set a world record time of 36.84 seconds at the Summer Olympics.

2012: 4 x 100 Metres Relay World Records

In 2012, Usain Bolt helped Jamaica to three 4 × 100 metres relay world records, with the current record being 36.84 seconds.

2012: Olympic 100m and 200m Titles

In 2012, Usain Bolt won Olympic 100 m and 200 m titles at the Olympics. He also won a 4 × 100 relay gold medal in 2012.

2012: Gold Medal-Winning Relay Team

On the final day of the 2012 Olympic athletics, Bolt participated in Jamaica's gold medal-winning 4 × 100 metres relay team along with Nesta Carter, Michael Frater and Blake. With a time of 36.84 seconds, they knocked two tenths of a second from their previous world record from 2011.

2013: World Relay Gold Medal

In 2013, Bolt won a third consecutive world relay gold medal in the 4 × 100 metres relay final, making him the most successful athlete in the 30-year history of the World Championships.

2013: Defeat by Justin Gatlin

In 2013, at the Golden Gala in June, Bolt suffered a defeat by Justin Gatlin, with Gatlin winning 9.94 s to Bolt's 9.95 s.

August 2014: Indoor 100 m World Record

In August 2014, Bolt set the indoor 100 m world record in Warsaw with a time of 9.98 seconds.

2015: Potential Retirement Year

At the start of 2015, Usain Bolt intended to make the 2017 World Championships in Athletics his last major competition before retirement.

2015: Skipping IAAF Diamond League Final

Conscious of his injuries at the start of the season, in 2015 Usain Bolt did not compete after the World Championships, skipping the 2015 IAAF Diamond League final.

2015: Bolt to prepare for the 2015 Season

In 2015, Bolt prepared for the 2015 season.

2015: World Championship Gold Medals

In 2015, Usain Bolt won World Championship 100 m, 200 m and 4 × 100 metres relay gold medals.

2015: Return from Injury

In 2015, upon his return from injury, Bolt appeared a reduced figure at the start of the season, running only two 100 m and three 200 m races before the major championship.

November 2016: Desire to play professional football

In November 2016, Usain Bolt expressed his desire to play professional football after retiring from track and field and reiterated his dream to play for Manchester United if given the chance.

2016: Rio Olympics

At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Bolt won the 100 metres gold medal with a time of 9.81 seconds, making him the first athlete to win the event three times at the Olympic Games. Bolt followed up his 100 m win with a gold medal in the 200 m.

2016: Races Before the Rio Olympics

In 2016, Bolt competed sparingly in the 200 m before the Olympics, with a run of 19.89 seconds to win at the London Grand Prix. Doping in athletics was a prime topic before the 2016 Rio Olympics.

2016: Olympic 100m and 200m Titles

In 2016, Usain Bolt won Olympic 100 m and 200 m titles at the Olympics.

January 2017: Stripped of Relay Gold

In January 2017, Usain Bolt was stripped of the 4 × 100 m relay gold from the Beijing Games in 2008 because his teammate Nesta Carter was found guilty of a doping violation.

February 2017: Nitro Athletics Debut

In February 2017, Bolt performed at the inaugural Nitro Athletics meet and led his team (Bolt All-Stars) to victory.

August 2017: Last sub-10-second performance

On August 5, 2017, at the World Championships, Usain Bolt had his last sub-10-second performance in the 100m.

2017: World Championship

In 2017, Bolt intended to make the 2017 World Championships in Athletics his last major competition before retirement.

2017: Sponsorship deal with Puma

In 2017, as part of his sponsorship deal with Puma, the manufacturer sends sporting equipment to Usain Bolt's alma mater, William Knibb Memorial High School, every year. Additionally, advertisements featuring Bolt are filmed in Jamaica by a Jamaican production crew to boost local enterprise.

2017: 2017 World Athletics Championships

In 2017, at the World Athletics Championships, Usain Bolt had a slow start in his heat but managed to win. In the semi-final, he was beaten by Christian Coleman, ending his four-year winning streak in the 100m. In his final individual race, Bolt won the bronze medal. He also participated in the 4 × 100 metres relay, but pulled up with a hamstring injury, refusing a wheelchair and crossing the finish line with his teammates.

2017: Disqualification from 2008 Summer Olympics

In 2017, the Jamaican relay team's gold medal from the 2008 Summer Olympics was voided due to Nesta Carter's positive drug test.

2017: Stripped of 2008 Olympics Title

In 2017, the Jamaican team was stripped of the 2008 Olympics 4 × 100 metre title due to Nesta Carter's disqualification for doping offences.

2017: Retirement After World Championships

Usain Bolt retired after the 2017 World Championships, when he finished third in his last solo 100 m race, opted out of the 200 m, and pulled up injured in the 4 × 100 m relay final.

August 2018: Training with Central Coast Mariners

In August 2018, on his 32nd birthday, Usain Bolt began training with Australian football club Central Coast Mariners of the A-League. He made his friendly debut on August 31, 2018, and later scored two goals in a friendly against Macarthur South West United on October 12, celebrating with his signature "To Di World" pose.

October 2018: Offered contract from Valletta and Mariners

In October 2018, Usain Bolt received a two-year contract offer from Maltese football club Valletta, which he declined on October 18, 2018. Later in October 2018, he was offered a contract by the Central Coast Mariners, with funding aided by the Australian FA. However, Perth Glory forward Andy Keogh criticized Bolt's football ability.

November 2018: Departure from Mariners

In November 2018, Usain Bolt left the Central Coast Mariners after eight weeks with the club, marking the end of his time with the team.

2018: Co-founded electric scooter company Bolt Mobility

In 2018, Usain Bolt co-founded Bolt Mobility, an electric scooter company, and appeared in its debut commercial, released on YouTube and his Facebook account. Bolt appeared in interviews alongside CEO Sarah Pishevar Haynes.

2018: Football career

In 2018, Usain Bolt trained with Norwegian football club Strømsgodset and played for the club as a forward in a friendly match against the Norway national under-19 team, wearing the number "9.58." He also captained the World XI during Soccer Aid 2018.

January 2019: End of sports career

In January 2019, Usain Bolt decided not to pursue a career in football, stating that his "sports life is over," marking the end of his athletic endeavors.

March 2019: Bolt Mobility NYC launch

In March 2019, Usain Bolt made his first public appearance for Bolt Mobility during the company's New York City launch and in CNBC interviews on the NYSE.

May 2019: Bolt Mobility expands to Europe

In May 2019, Bolt Mobility expanded its services to Europe, introducing the product first in Paris.

May 2019: Viva Technology conference

In May 2019, Usain Bolt spoke at the Viva Technology conference in Paris, introducing the Bolt Nano minicar. He also met with French president Emmanuel Macron and revealed his reasons for founding the company in a CNN interview.

July 2019: Debut as a Dancehall Music Producer

In July 2019, Usain Bolt debuted as a dancehall music producer with the release of the Olympe Rosé riddim. The riddim featured 5 tracks from Jamaican dancehall artistes: Dexta Daps's "Big Moves", Munga Honorable's "Weekend", Christopher Martin's "Dweet", Ding Dong's "Top A Di Top", and Ricardo "Bibi" Gardner's "Mount A Gyal".

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November 2019: Release of "Immortal Riddim" compilation

In November 2019, Usain Bolt released another compilation called Immortal Riddim that included tracks from Vybz Kartel, Masicka, Munga Honorable, and Christopher Martin.

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January 2021: Released a Single

In January 2021, Usain Bolt released a single titled "Living the Dream" with his childhood friend and manager Nugent 'NJ' Walker.

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2021: Launch of Bolt Labs powered by SprintRay

In 2021, Usain Bolt partnered with SprintRay Inc. to launch "Bolt Labs powered by SprintRay" in Jamaica, aiming to increase access to dental care across Jamaica and the Caribbean through advanced 3D printing technology. Bolt Labs focuses on creating high-quality dental prosthetics and conducting outreach efforts via mobile dental clinics.