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Usain Bolt – Science of Olympic Gold

You are here: Home / Beijing 2008 / Usain Bolt – Science of Olympic Gold
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October 15, 2012 by Jimson Lee 6 Comments

Last Updated on October 9, 2018 by Jimson Lee

In this short 2 minute video, the documentary lists nearly all the facts known about Usain Bolt Olympic 100 meters.   If you followed this Blog for a while, NONE of the numbers presented are new to you, as these numbers come from several past articles (I’m too lazy to look them up and cross reference).   But to have it all condensed in a 2 minute clip may be of interest to new readers.

In this video, they are presenting:

  • 190cm: the height of Usain Bolt
  • 6’4″: the height of Usain Bolt (Imperial)
  • 252Kg/stride: force per stride for average runners
  • 0.12 seconds: ground contact for average runners
  • 450Kg/stride: force per stride for Usain Bolt
  • 0.08 seconds: ground contact for Usain Bolt
  • 41 strides/100m for Usain Bolt
  • 45 strides/100m for Tyson Gay
  • at 20m Usain reaches 25Km/hr
  • 0.82/10m split is reached 3X in same race by Usain
  • 60-80m is where the top speed is reached
  • 44Km/hr is Usain Bolt’s top speed
  • 0.165sec reaction time was measured for Bolt in Beijing 2008
  • 0.100sec is the IAAF allowable limit

I disagree with the commentator as he says there’s “plenty of room for improvement” in his reaction time.

See also  Glute Ham Raises - 1/5 Best Weight Room Exercises for Sprinters, Jumpers

Category iconBeijing 2008,  Coaching,  Track & Field

About Jimson Lee

I am a Masters Athlete and Coach currently based in London UK. My other projects include the Bud Winter Foundation, writer for the IAAF New Studies in Athletics Journal (NSA) and a member of the Track & Field Writers of America.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ardyn Foy says

    October 15, 2012 at 5:49 pm

    When they say ‘Average Runner’ is that just a Joe blog who runs a 13+ second 100m or average compared to Olympic standards so 10.50-11.50 seconds?
    Also the 450Kg/stride is that only Bolt or does the rest of the Olympic 100m finalists do around the same?

    Reply
  2. radunga says

    October 16, 2012 at 1:42 pm

    I put here some data about Bolt and about Blake, I’ldexpect they can compelte some about your database, specially to see the improvement of Blake from 2011 to 2012

    Reply
  3. tim newman says

    January 2, 2013 at 12:54 am

    there are some important facts missing from this analysis.
    following on from murieka’s analysis of altitude and wind, more recent anecdotal evidence of the top sprinters suggests that a more likely figure per 1m/s wind is around 0.1s over 100m. (yes, yes, i know each athlete has different drag etc. BUT, applying that over a speed argument you get an additional 0.01s over 10m for each 1m/s wind.
    Bolt’s 9.77 into a 1.3m/s wind equates to a 9.64 seconds, still conditions run. With maximum legal wind, that run (in 2008) would net him a sub 9.5 second time. Personally i think this proves that Bolt has not improved at all since 2008, and in fact has gotten slower..markedly so. Adding this to his splits of (arguably) 0.805 over 10m as being his best ever (more recent 2010-2012), and you get Bolt’s 2008 run at being potentially sub 0.80s for 10m with maximum legal wind.

    Reply
    • Jimson Lee says

      January 3, 2013 at 12:46 am

      @Tim, I think Bolt hasn’t really improved since Berlin. I don’t think we’ll ever see that 18.99 from Bolt… a 42.99 400m is more realistic.

      Reply
      • tim newman says

        January 3, 2013 at 11:04 pm

        i tend to agree, although MJ was in a similar position and ended his dominance with a final peak to stamp his freakiness on the sport. im hoping Bolt can re-focus amidst all the attention and give the fans what he’s really capable of, which is that sub 9.5 and 19.0. I also agree that he’s got the goods to break (smash) the 400m record. I also wonder how blake would go over 400m.
        i think Bolt has lost the edge and only someone beating him can get him to put his all into it again..he needs to race with some doubt about winning, his antics before a race show he thinks its a given. Says alot about his 2012 performance in both events..he had so so years on the circuit yet ran some eventually good times..would like to see him in all time best shape and then really push it..still, as strange as it is, he can be in 9.8 form and still break the WR if the wind is right…

        Reply
      • tim newman says

        January 3, 2013 at 11:10 pm

        just to re-iterate, bolts best run (adjusted for wind), was in 2008. 9.77 at -1.3 wind.
        he hasnt ran an equivalent better than that since.
        THAT would be the splits you want to look at and extrapolate and make predictions from. NOT his 9.69 or his 9.58. Simplistically you can just take the wind effect and divide it by the number of split segments (10) and apply that to his actual splits recorded, to find what he really could do.

        Reply

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