llien
Member
Came across curious post, I think it's worth sharing:
Usain Bolt; the fastest person ever timed. 11 times world champion, 9 time gold medalist at the Olympics (the Treble Treble); the first ever man to hold both the 100m and 200m world records.
So then, not just a champion, the greatest champion in the three events he competes in the world has ever seen. That last sentence bears dwelling on — Usain Bolt has not only beaten his fellow world class athletes, he has set seemingly game-changing records in the course of becoming the best.
And yet, despite the number of fellow competitors that have received various different bans for illegal doping, Usain Bolt has remained relatively immune to both criticism and also, importantly, scrutiny. In a sport marred, bruised and almost broken by scandal, Bolt has emerged in the eyes of fans and press alike as a shining beacon of achievement, but also charm, charisma and a laid back attitude that has turned the starting blocks from a place of intense and unwavering concentration into a pre-race competition of who can appear the most relaxed and joyous.
The Duck Test
“if it looks like a duck, swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck”
Lance Armstrong
Lance Armstrong recovered from testicular cancer to win 7 Tour De France’s between 1998 and 2005, founded a Charity that raised millions of dollars for those battling cancer and brought the sport of Cycling to millions of new fans, eager to share a part of a new American sporting hero’s journey from the edge of death to superstardom. He was the epitome of sporting courage and achievement. Oh, and he cheated. The whole time. All 7 of his Tour De France titles (and every other achievement) were stripped from him. A once-idolised athlete had nothing left of his career and sporting wins.
Bolt's Astonishing athletic achievements
Plot of the world records for the 100m over the last 100 years:
See that blue dot way below the line on the right? That’s Bolt’s 2009 time.
And what’s the green one? Well, at the Beijing Olympics, remember that Bolt slowed massively towards the end of the race? Scientific analysis of Bolt’s run by the Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics at the University of Oslo, Hans Eriksen and his colleagues predicted a sub 9.60 s time had Bolt not slowed down. Considering factors such as Bolt’s position, acceleration and velocity in comparison with second-place-finisher Thompson, the team estimated that Bolt could have finished in 9.55 ± 0.04 s had he not slowed to celebrate before the finishing line. That’s potentially a 100m run in 9.51 seconds.
The trend line above shows just how almost laughably fast Bolt’s new World Record was (and how fast is could have been). Simply put, not only did Bolt break records, he broke them by unfathomable amounts when he did.
There have been scientific papers written on Bolt’s unique physique which examine how his height and stride length, combined with great technique, give him an advantage over his competitors. But remember, doping doesn’t make mere mortals into the best in the world, but it can make those with natural gifts and excellent coaching the best.
A Dirty Sport
Here’s a list of the fastest men ever recorded. An orange highlight indicates if they have even been banned from sprinting because of illegal doping:
In other words, of the 5 fastest men ever recorded, Bolt is the only one never to have been caught doping. Nesta Carter, number 6 on that list, is currently accused of doping in 2008. If confirmed, Bolt will be the only one of the top 6 never to have been found doping.
Fastest individual times ever run (by any sprinter):
Medals won by Jamaica in Olympic games:
TL;DR
There was quite a bit of conspiracy theory, which I've skipped. You can read entire post here: medum.com@tomnew
Usain Bolt; the fastest person ever timed. 11 times world champion, 9 time gold medalist at the Olympics (the Treble Treble); the first ever man to hold both the 100m and 200m world records.
So then, not just a champion, the greatest champion in the three events he competes in the world has ever seen. That last sentence bears dwelling on — Usain Bolt has not only beaten his fellow world class athletes, he has set seemingly game-changing records in the course of becoming the best.
And yet, despite the number of fellow competitors that have received various different bans for illegal doping, Usain Bolt has remained relatively immune to both criticism and also, importantly, scrutiny. In a sport marred, bruised and almost broken by scandal, Bolt has emerged in the eyes of fans and press alike as a shining beacon of achievement, but also charm, charisma and a laid back attitude that has turned the starting blocks from a place of intense and unwavering concentration into a pre-race competition of who can appear the most relaxed and joyous.
The Duck Test
“if it looks like a duck, swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck”
Lance Armstrong
Lance Armstrong recovered from testicular cancer to win 7 Tour De France’s between 1998 and 2005, founded a Charity that raised millions of dollars for those battling cancer and brought the sport of Cycling to millions of new fans, eager to share a part of a new American sporting hero’s journey from the edge of death to superstardom. He was the epitome of sporting courage and achievement. Oh, and he cheated. The whole time. All 7 of his Tour De France titles (and every other achievement) were stripped from him. A once-idolised athlete had nothing left of his career and sporting wins.
Bolt's Astonishing athletic achievements
Plot of the world records for the 100m over the last 100 years:
See that blue dot way below the line on the right? That’s Bolt’s 2009 time.
And what’s the green one? Well, at the Beijing Olympics, remember that Bolt slowed massively towards the end of the race? Scientific analysis of Bolt’s run by the Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics at the University of Oslo, Hans Eriksen and his colleagues predicted a sub 9.60 s time had Bolt not slowed down. Considering factors such as Bolt’s position, acceleration and velocity in comparison with second-place-finisher Thompson, the team estimated that Bolt could have finished in 9.55 ± 0.04 s had he not slowed to celebrate before the finishing line. That’s potentially a 100m run in 9.51 seconds.
The trend line above shows just how almost laughably fast Bolt’s new World Record was (and how fast is could have been). Simply put, not only did Bolt break records, he broke them by unfathomable amounts when he did.
There have been scientific papers written on Bolt’s unique physique which examine how his height and stride length, combined with great technique, give him an advantage over his competitors. But remember, doping doesn’t make mere mortals into the best in the world, but it can make those with natural gifts and excellent coaching the best.
A Dirty Sport
Here’s a list of the fastest men ever recorded. An orange highlight indicates if they have even been banned from sprinting because of illegal doping:
In other words, of the 5 fastest men ever recorded, Bolt is the only one never to have been caught doping. Nesta Carter, number 6 on that list, is currently accused of doping in 2008. If confirmed, Bolt will be the only one of the top 6 never to have been found doping.
Fastest individual times ever run (by any sprinter):
Medals won by Jamaica in Olympic games:
TL;DR
- Usain Bolt was a gifted sprinter at junior level.
- Between 2007 and 2008, his sprinting ability improved drastically, to the consternation of pundits and experts.
- At the same time, the competitiveness of the entire Jamaican team improved, indicated by their increase in medals at major events.
- Bolt smashed world records and his fellow competitors by a huge margin in 2008 and 2009.
- Of the 5 fastest men ever recorded, he is the only one never to have tested positive for performance enhancing drugs. Of the 20 top times ever recorded at the 100 metres, he’s the only athlete not to have been caught doping.
- Sprinting has been mired in controversy and doping scandals throughout its history and into the present day.
- Large numbers of Jamaican sprinters have been caught doping, including his training partner.
- The coach of a number of these sprinters was the same as Bolt’s, Glen Mills.
There was quite a bit of conspiracy theory, which I've skipped. You can read entire post here: medum.com@tomnew
