“That is the most incredible piece of sprinting the world has ever seen...”

Five days before he turned 23 and exactly one year after he stunned the world with his scintillating run at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, Usain Bolt ran perhaps the most epic 100m race the world has seen in Germany at the World Championships in 2009.

The Jamaican superstar shattered his own 100m world record to win the gold medal at the World Championships with a scarcely believable time of 9.58 seconds. Bolt shaved a staggering 0.11 seconds off the 9.69 mark he set while winning gold in Beijing a year ago.

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The margin of victory was not as comfortable as some of his other wins, but the time to complete the world record sprint will certainly take some breaking in the years to come.

World Record Progression of 100m - men's

Mark (seconds) Wind Competitor Country Venue Date
9.58 +0.9 Usain BOLT JAM Olympiastadion, Berlin (GER) 16 AUG 2009
9.69 0.0 Usain BOLT JAM National Stadium, Beijing (CHN) 16 AUG 2008
9.72 +1.7 Usain BOLT JAM Icahn Stadium, New York, NY (USA) 31 MAY 2008
9.74 +1.7 Asafa POWELL JAM Guidobaldi, Rieti (ITA) 09 SEP 2007
9.77 +1.0 Asafa POWELL JAM Zürich (SUI) 18 AUG 2006
9.77 +1.5 Asafa POWELL JAM International Stadium, Gateshead (GBR) 11 JUN 2006
9.77 +1.6 Asafa POWELL JAM Olympic Stadium, Athina (GRE) 14 JUN 2005
(Since 2000) Via World Athletics

Here’s what Bolt said about his record:

“I don’t run for world records. The aim was just to come out here and execute because it was going to be a tough race. I got a pretty good start, I was there at 20 metres and that was it.

“Today was perfect. This gave me a lot of energy. Especially the crowd. I won’t forget it.”  

— via Reuters

You can watch the epic race here: