Usain Bolt has delivered a blunt verdict on the current generation of sprinters — and teased a future challenger who would make him proud.
The sprinting icon, holder of the electric 9.58-second 100m world record set in 2009, told talkSPORT he doesn’t see anyone today ready to topple that mark anytime soon. Instead, Bolt painted a more personal picture of the kind of athlete he’d love to see rewrite history.
Bolt’s 9.58 has stood as the gold standard for 17 years, a benchmark that has survived near-misses and fierce rivals. He shrugged off recent contenders, saying the world record “is going to take a while to go.” His tone mixed confidence with a hint of challenge. The record is safe for now, but not forever.
Rather than point to a rival, Bolt offered a sentimental twist: he hopes one of his own will one day rise to the occasion. The father of twin boys, Saint Leo and Thunder, Bolt has long spoken of his wish that one of them might follow his footsteps into track and field. For now, that dream remains years away, but Bolt’s vision is clear — he’d prefer a successor who carries his name and spirit.
History shows the record has been threatened before. Tyson Gay posted a 9.69 in 2009, while Jamaicans Yohan Blake and Asafa Powell ran 9.69 and 9.72, respectively.
Justin Gatlin sits among the fastest with 9.74. More recently, Kishane Thompson clocked an eye-catching 9.75 at the 2025 Jamaican Championships, reminding the world that raw speed still emerges from the island that birthed Bolt.
Bolt’s dismissal of the current crop isn’t a final judgment on the sport; it’s a gauntlet.
He wants a challenger who embodies speed, heart, and lineage, someone who would make the record’s fall feel like a passing of the torch rather than a mere statistic.
Whether that challenger will be a rising Jamaican star, an unexpected phenom, or one of Bolt’s own sons, the sprinting world will be watching.
For Bolt, the record is more than a time on a stopwatch; it’s a story he hopes will be continued with meaning.
He’s content to watch the chase, confident in his place in history, and quietly hopeful that the next name etched beside 9.58 will carry a connection — personal or national — that makes the moment unforgettable.
