Usain Bolt surprised everyone the first time he broke the 100 metre world record, including himself.
The fastest man alive was unstoppable throughout his glittering athletics career, winning eight Olympic gold medals and clocking unprecedented times in both the 100m and 200m disciplines.
Bolt’s dominance of the 100m was such that he smashed the world record on three separate occasions, with his 9.58 second personal best from 2009 still untouched to this day.
And while making history became a regular occurrence for the Jamaican star, he has revealed that he was actually unaware the first time he made broke new ground in the event.
In June 2008, Bolt clocked a time of 9.72 seconds at the New York Grand, shooting him to stardom as he surpassed Asafa Powell’s previous world’s best.
Unbelievably however, the historic moment went completely unnoticed by the Olympics legend as he crossed the line.
Appearing on the Jonathan Ross Show in 2021, Bolt explained that he had been so focused on finishing ahead of main rival Tyson Gay that he had given little thought to setting a new record.
Discussing his mentality regarding breaking records, Bolt said: “For me, if I’m actually going for it, you can tell. You know what I mean?”
He then explained: “When I broke the first 100 metres in New York, I wasn’t actually going for the world record.
“Tyson Gay was one of my biggest competitors at the time. And for me, in New York, it was the first time I was going to compete with him over 100 metres.
“All I wanted to do was just to beat him and to prove that I was better than him.”
Bolt then recalled how he had been so delighted with his victory over the American, who remains the second fastest man of all time, that he then set off celebrating, still unaware of his achievement.
Bolt revealed he had other things on his mind when he smashed the 100m world record for the first time in 2008[/caption]
The 38-year-old continued: “So, for me, when I went out and I beat him, I ran all the way around the track.
“It was when I almost made it all the way back around and the announcer kind of announced that I broke the record, that’s when I knew.”
This prompted host Jonathan Ross to say jokingly: “You did a whole extra lap just to rub it in!”
And Bolt would soon have another chance to celebrate another record-breaking 100m performance.
Just two months later, the sprinting star shattered his previous best as he raced to Olympic gold at the Beijing Games, doing so in 9.69 seconds.
And while he may not have immediately taken in the enormity of his achievement in New York, Bolt certainly made the most of the moment this time around.
Having established a comfortable lead, the then 21-year-old famously celebrated before crossing the finish line.
This prompted many to speculate that Bolt could have run even faster had he not slowed down to take in the occasion.
The Jamaican then enjoyed yet more groundbreaking success in Beijing, as he clinched 200m gold with a then world best of 19.30 seconds in the final.
Much like his 100m heroics, this record also did not last long, with Bolt then bettering this time at the 2009 World Championships, crossing the line in 19.19 seconds, a feat which no sprinter has since managed to beat.
History would continue to follow Bolt throughout his career, who then replicated his Beijing exploits at London 2012 and Rio 2016, becoming the first sprinter to win 100m and 200m gold at three consecutive Olympics.
