David Rudisha, the Kenyan sensation, emerged as the ultimate victor in the highly competitive men’s 800-metre event at both the prestigious 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games. This electrifying athlete not only claimed the gold medal but did so with a groundbreaking performance that set a world record, catapulting him to the summit of middle-distance running. Rudisha’s unmatched brilliance lies in his unparalleled achievement of conquering the monumental 800-metre challenge in a mind-boggling time of under 1:41, ensuring he is recognised when it comes to sporting history. With an awe-inspiring display of speed, agility, and unwavering determination, he commands an astonishing record, including the three fastest, six out of the eight fastest, and an astounding half of the twenty fastest times ever recorded in this event.
In 2016, Rudisha returned to the Olympic stage, poised to defend his coveted title with an unwavering determination. With the weight of expectations on his shoulders, he embarked on a formidable quest, igniting the track with his sheer presence. The stadium roared in awe as Rudisha soared across the finish line, stopping the clock at a remarkable time of 1:42.15. In accomplishing this feat, he positioned his name alongside the legendary Alberto Juantorena of Cuba, becoming the first man in four decades to secure back-to-back Olympic gold medals in the fiercely contested 800 metres.
David Rudisha’s impact on the world of middle-distance running transcends mere numbers and records. He is a trailblazer, a pioneer, and a true icon of the sport. His unwavering determination, coupled with his ability to defy limits, has solidified his position as one of the greatest middle-distance runners in athletic history. Beyond his unmatched achievements, Rudisha serves as an inspiration to countless young athletes worldwide, a living testament to the power of dreams and the relentless pursuit of excellence.
Of course, the modern pentathlon is only ‘modern’ in the sense that it exists in the modern era. It is, in fact, the successor to the original pentathlon, which was a feature of the ancient Olympic Games, staged in Olympia, Greece until the fourth century. The international governing body of modern pentathlon, the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM), was founded in London in 1848 and the event was introduced to the Olympic programme at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm.
Like its predecessor, the modern pentathlon was modelled on the essential skills needed by a soldier of the day – that is, the nineteenth century – so, while no less demanding, physically or mentally, the event is no longer as pertinent as was once the case. Nevertheless, the modern pentathlon consists of five disciplines – namely swimming, fencing, riding, running and shooting – in which athletes complete in a single day.
Swimming takes the form of a 200-metre freestyle event and is followed by fencing, in which athletes are ranked, by means of a round-robin, before competing in a seeded elimination, or knockout, in which an additional poimt is available for each victory. Show jumping, on an unfamiliar horse drawn, by lot, shortly before the start of the competition, follows, after which the points from the first three events are tallied to determine starting positions for the final event of the day, known as laser run.
Laser run combines the disciplines of running and shooting. Athletes race over four 800-metre circuits, interspersed with four rounds of laser pistol shooting, during which they must shoot at five targets from a range of 10 metres, within a 50-second time-limit if they wish to compete for a medal. The leading athlete from the first three events starts first, with the remainder starting at staggered intervals, corresponding to the number of points they are behind. The first athlete to finish wins the entire competition.
In a breathtaking display of speed and skill, Usain Bolt placed his name in history during the 2009 IAAF World Championships in Athletics held in Berlin, Germany. It was on this grand stage that Bolt unleashed his lightning-fast prowess, obliterating the world record for the men’s 200-metre sprint. With astonishing power and grace, he blazed across the finish line in a mind-boggling time of 19.19 seconds, surpassing his own previous record of 19.30 seconds set at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Bolt’s jaw-dropping performance in Berlin left spectators and fellow athletes in utter awe. His unparalleled speed and unwavering determination propelled him to claim the gold medal in the 200 metres, solidifying his status as an athletic legend. The world watched in disbelief as Bolt rewrote the record books, pushing the boundaries of human achievement on the track.
The impact of Bolt’s historic feat extended far beyond the boundaries of athletics. His electrifying speed and magnetic personality captured the hearts of millions worldwide. Bolt became a symbol of inspiration, proving that with relentless dedication and unyielding spirit, dreams can be transformed into reality.
It is undeniable that Bolt’s record-breaking sprint in 2009 will forever be remembered in sports history. His remarkable achievement serves as a testament to the heights that can be reached through unwavering commitment and a burning desire to excel. Bolt’s legacy continues to shine brightly, inspiring generations of athletes to strive for greatness and embrace the power of human potential. However, will the record ever be broken? Only time will tell.
Born in Montego Bay, Jamaica on August 21, 1986, Usain Bolt, a.k.a. ‘Lightning Bolt’, holds the current world record for the men’s 100 metres, 9.58 seconds, which he set during the final of the event at the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Athletics Championships at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany on August 16, 2009. At the time of writing, his record has stood for an unprecedented 13 years, 8 months and 11 days.
Of course, Bolt’s defeat of his two main rivals, American Tyson Gay – who ran 9.71 seconds or, in other words, the third fastest time in history – and compatriot Asafa Powell, in Berlin was not the first time he had broken his own world record for the 100 metres. He had previously done so exactly a year earlier, when winning the first of his three consecutive Olympic gold medals in the event at the National Stadium, a.k.a. the ‘Bird’s Nest’, in Beijing on August 16, 2008.
On that occasion, Bolt clocked 9.69 seconds, beating silver medallist Richard Thompson of Trinidad and Tobago by a margin of 0.20 seconds, despite ‘showboating’ for the final 20 metres and crossing the finish line with his arms wide open. In so doing, he shaved 0.03 seconds off his own world record, 9.72 seconds, which he had set at the Icahn Stadium in New York City during the Reebok Grand Prix on May 31, 2008.
In New York City, aged 21, and competing for the just the fifth time over 100 metres at senior level, Bolt defeated reigning world champion Tyson Gay and, in so doing, broke the previous world record, 9.74 seconds, set by Asafa Powell at the IAAF Grand Prix in Rieti, Italy on September 9, 2007.
The world record for the men’s high jump was first ratified by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) in 1912 and the current record – which, at the time of writing, has stood for nearly 30 years – still belongs to Cuban Javier Sotomayor Sanabria. Sotomayor first set a world record on September 8, 1988, just days before the Seoul Olympics, which were boycotted by his country. At the Helmantico Stadium in Salamanca, Spain, he cleared 2.43 metres at the second attempt, thereby beating the previous world record by one centimetre.
Less than a year later, at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Championships at Estadio Sixto Escobar in San Juan, Puerto Rico on July 29, 1989, Sotomayor added another centimetre to his own world record, clearing 2.44 metres, again at the second attempt. Lo and behold, four years later, almost to the day – July 27, 1993, to be precise – he did so again, clearing 2.35 metres, again at the second attempt, to set the current world record.
In between times, Sotomayor won a gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona with a height of ‘just’ 2.34 metres. In fact, five jumpers, including the former world record holder Patrik Sjöberg of Sweden, who won the silver medal, cleared the winning height, but the Cuban was the only won to do so at the first attempt.
At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Sotomayor qualified for the final but, after clearing 2.25 metres at the first attempt, failed three times at 2.32 metres and finished only twelfth behind American Charles Austin, who won the gold medal with a new Olympic record of 2.39 metres. However, four years later, at the age of 32, he won the silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, with a height of 2.32 metres.