Usain Bolt says there’s a sports achievement even harder than breaking the 100m world record.
Usain Bolt thinks that winning 24 Grand Slam titles, like Novak Djokovic has, is even harder than breaking his 100m world record.
Bolt, who won eight Olympic gold medals and is considered one of the best athletes ever, still holds the men’s 100m and 200m world records more than 15 years after setting them. At the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, he ran the 100m in an amazing 9.58 seconds and the 200m in 19.19 seconds – both times no one has beaten yet.
Although Bolt retired nearly ten years ago, his records remain untouched. In 2009, American runner Tyson Gay ran the 100m in 9.69 seconds, making him the second-fastest man then. A few years later, Jamaican sprinter Yohan Blake matched that time in 2012. But so far, no one has come close to Bolt’s incredible record.
Still, Bolt says winning 24 Grand Slam tennis titles is tougher. Djokovic has won 24 Grand Slams, including ten Australian Open titles, three French Opens, seven Wimbledons, and four US Opens.
When asked at the Monte-Carlo Masters whether it’s harder to run the 100m in 9.58 seconds or win Djokovic’s 24 Grand Slams, Bolt said without hesitation, “I’d say 24 Grand Slams, for sure. He is an amazing athlete and a great person. I’ve met him a few times.”
In 2022, scientists Polly McGuigan and Aki Salo suggested Bolt’s record might be broken someday. They think someone might even run the 100m in under nine seconds, but it would take a special mix of genetics and training.
They explained that strong, fast muscles with plenty of fast-twitch fibers would be needed to make that happen. Although it might not happen in our lifetime, they say it’s likely someone will break the nine-second barrier one day.