1. USAIN BOLT
This man stands in a class of his own, and after finishing in 4th place on our 2015 standings, he has now claimed the top spot by virtue of his history making feat at his final outing at the Olympic Games, reinforcing his legendary status as one of the greatest athletes of all time after taking his haul of Olympic GOLD medals to nine. Many already consider him to be the greatest athlete of all time, but that is a debate for another day.
Suffice to say that Usain Bolt has etched his name in the history books and has transformed the face of modern Athletics, and with only one year before his impending retirement, it could take decades if not longer, for another star of equal standing to replicate, not to talk of surpassing his rare achievements on the track. Although it’s been a while since the Jamaican displayed his World Record (WR) smashing form, he managed to remain undefeated in all of his 13 races this season, cutting across the 100m, 200m and 4x100m.
The WR holder over all three events, opened his season at the Cayman Invitational in May where he clocked a time of 10.05s. Six days later he raced at the IAAF World Challenge in Ostrava where he ran his first sub-10s of the season, returning a time of 9.98. It was his eighth victory at the meeting. He then competed in the heats (10.15s) and semis (10.04s) of the Jamaican Trials but had to pull out of the final after being injured during the semis.
However he proved that there was no cause for alarm as he secured his Olympic berth at the London Diamond league (DL) where he won his first 200m of the season in 19.89s. Just as it was in 2015, the final of the men’s 100m race was expected to be a two-horse race between Bolt and his American rival, Justin Gatlin who came to Rio as the World Leader in the event with his time of 9.80s.
But true to his reputation as a Championship athlete, the multiple World Champion delivered when it mattered the most, claiming his third successive 100m crown with a Season’s Best (SB) of 9.81s as Gatlin followed in 9.89s. In a surprising twist, the American failed to qualify for the 200m final after miscalculating his race in the semis, leaving the coast clear for Bolt to dominate.
The 29-year old won in another SB of 19.78s as Canadian Andre De Grasse followed in 20.02s. Bolt capped his remarkable outing by anchoring the Jamaican team comprising of Asafa Powell, Yohan Blake and Nickel Ashmeade to a third consecutive relay GOLD in a World Leading (WL) time of 37.27s. He was voted IAAF World Athlete of the Year (Male) for a record sixth time, beating Mo Farah and Wayde Van Niekerk to the trophy.
The Jamaican sprint legend dedicated the award to his fans, appreciating them for their unwavering support over the years. He said, “I live for the moments when I walk into a stadium and I hear a loud roar and Rio was outstanding. One of the main reasons I’m continuing for another year is because of the fans; they don’t want me to retire. I have to give thanks to them”. The Track will certainly miss this showman!
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