Life is full of challenges, and Usain Bolt faced many. Discover key struggles and how they were overcome.
Usain Bolt, a retired Jamaican sprinter, is celebrated as the greatest of all time. He boasts eight Olympic gold medals and holds world records in the 100 metres, 200 metres, and 4 × 100 metres relay, solidifying his legacy as a dominant force in sprinting history.
2003: Missed opportunity at Senior World Championships
In 2003, Bolt was not allowed to participate in the Senior World Championships finals due to a bout of conjunctivitis and concerns about his age and inexperience.
2004: Professional Debut and Hamstring Injury
In 2004, Usain Bolt turned professional and broke the world junior record with a time of 19.93 s in the 200 m. However, a hamstring injury hindered his performance at the Athens Olympics.
2004: Injuries at the Olympics
Usain Bolt felt that both his work ethic and athleticism had much improved since the 2004 Olympics.
2005: Injury at the World Championships
At the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki, Bolt qualified with runs under 21 seconds, but suffered an injury in the final, finishing in last place. However, his appearance made him the youngest ever person to appear in a 200 m world final.
March 2006: Hamstring Injury
In March 2006, Usain Bolt suffered another hamstring injury, which forced him to withdraw from the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
2007: First time Bolt was beaten
At the 2017 World Athletics Championships, Bolt was beaten for the first time since the 4 × 100 m relay of the 2007 World Athletics Championships.
June 2008: Response to claims of being a lazy athlete
In June 2008, Usain Bolt addressed claims that he was a lazy athlete, attributing any perception of laziness to his lack of enthusiasm for the 400m event, while he also set a world-leading time in Ostrava and broke the national record for the second time in Athens with a 19.67s finish.
2008: 4 x 100 m relay gold from the Beijing Games
In 2008, Usain Bolt won the 4 x 100 m relay gold from the Beijing Games which he was later stripped of in January 2017 because his teammate Nesta Carter was found guilty of a doping violation.
2008: Stripped of 2008 Olympics 4 x 100 metre title
In 2017, the Jamaican team, including Usain Bolt, was stripped of the 2008 Olympics 4 × 100 metre title due to Nesta Carter's disqualification for doping offences. Bolt expressed that the prospect of returning the gold was "heartbreaking".
July 2010: End of win-streak covering 100 m finals
On July 16, 2010, Usain Bolt's win-streak covering 14 100m finals came to an end.
September 2011: End of undefeated streak in the 200 m
On September 3, 2011, Usain Bolt's undefeated streak of 17 finals in the 200m came to an end.
2011: Disqualified from 100 metres final
At the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, Bolt, the favorite, was disqualified from the 100 metres final due to a false start. Yohan Blake, his countryman, won the race in 9.92 seconds. This disqualification in 2011 sparked debate about the rule change regarding false starts.
2011: 100 m False Start
In 2011, Usain Bolt had a 100 m false start at the World Championship.
2012: Began the season with a leading time, defeated by Blake
In 2012, Bolt began the season with a leading 100 m time of 9.82 seconds in May. Later, at the Jamaican Athletics Championships in 2012, he was defeated by Yohan Blake in both the 200 m and 100 m races.
2013: Unexpected defeat by Justin Gatlin
In 2013, at the Golden Gala in June, Usain Bolt was unexpectedly defeated by Justin Gatlin, who won with a time of 9.94 seconds compared to Bolt's 9.95 seconds. He won the Jamaican 100 m title ahead of Kemar Bailey-Cole and skipped the 200 m.
March 2014: Hamstring injury
In March 2014, Usain Bolt suffered a hamstring injury that caused him to miss nine weeks of training. This setback occurred before the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
2015: Skipped the IAAF Diamond League final
Conscious of his injuries at the start of the 2015 season, Usain Bolt did not compete after the World Championships, skipping the 2015 IAAF Diamond League final.
2015: Returned from injury with reduced performances
Upon his return from injury at the start of the 2015 season, Bolt's performances were diminished, with his season's best time of 20.13 seconds ranking him 20th in the world. Despite this, two 100 m runs of 9.87 in July in London showed better form.
January 2017: Stripped of 4 × 100 m relay gold from the Beijing Games
In January 2017, Usain Bolt was stripped of the 4 × 100 m relay gold from the 2008 Beijing Games because his teammate Nesta Carter was found guilty of a doping violation.
2017: Won bronze medal in final individual race
At the 2017 World Athletics Championships, Bolt won a bronze medal in his final individual race, finishing in 9.95 s, behind Justin Gatlin and Christian Coleman. Also in 2017, Bolt pulled up in agony during the 4 × 100 metres relay final due to a hamstring injury.
2017: Stripped of 2008 Olympics 4 x 100 metre title
In 2017, the Jamaican team, including Usain Bolt, was stripped of the 2008 Olympics 4 × 100 metre title due to Nesta Carter's disqualification for doping offences. Bolt expressed that the prospect of returning the gold was "heartbreaking".
2017: Retirement After World Championships
Usain Bolt retired after the 2017 World Championships, finishing third in his last solo 100 m race, opting out of the 200 m, and pulling up injured in the 4×100 m relay final.
July 2022: Bolt Mobility ceases operations
In early July 2022, Bolt Mobility abruptly ceased operations, impacting bike-sharing programs in several cities.
January 2023: Fell victim to a fraud scheme
On 19 January 2023, Bolt became the victim of a fraud scheme, leading to the loss of over $12 million from his retirement savings account. The account, held with an investment firm in Kingston, was reduced to $12,000.