Usain St. Leo Bolt was born on August 26th, 1986, in Sherwood Content in the parish of Trelawny, Jamaica, to parents Wellesley and Jennifer Bolt, who operated a grocery store in the rural neighbourhood. Bolt has two siblings: a brother, Sadiki, and a sister, Sherine.
During his childhood, Usain Bolt played cricket and football and said that while growing up he didn’t think about anything besides sports. He attended Waldensia Primary School, where he first showed his talent for running in the yearly national primary school meet for his parish.
At 12, Bolt was the school’s fastest runner in the 100-meter distance. Upon entering William Knibb Memorial High School, Bolt remained interested in other sports, but his running speed was noticed by his cricket coach, who encouraged him to give track and field a try.
The fastest man alive
Bolt’s rise to international sprint dominance began at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where he won double sprint medals with world record times. He is the only sprinter to win 100-meter and 200-meter titles at three consecutive Olympics, as well as the first athlete to hold world records in both the 100 and 200 meters.
The greatest sprinter of all time, Bolt is also the world record holder as part of a 4×100 meter relay team. He received Olympic gold in these three events.
Before his retirement in 2017, Bolt won 11 World Championships, winning consecutive titles in the 100 meter, 200 meter, and 4×100 meter relay from 2009 to 2015.
A once-in-a-lifetime athlete
For over a decade, this Jamaican legend absolutely dominated on the tracks. Bolt is indeed a once-in-a-lifetime marvel and has built for himself an unrivalled sprint legacy.
