As of 2024, Usain Bolt held the men’s 100-meter world record.
Bolt ran 9.58 seconds at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin on August 16, lowering his own world record by 0.11 seconds. The performance remains the benchmark for the men’s outdoor 100 meters and was wind-legal, with a recorded tailwind of 0.9 meters per second.
Bolt had first set the record at 9.69 seconds at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, then improved it to 9.58 in Berlin. He also ran 9.63 seconds in the 2012 Olympic final, which remains the Olympic record. His 200-meter world record, 19.19 seconds, was set in Berlin four days after the 100-meter mark.
The listed alternatives are all notable sprinters, but none holds the men’s 100-meter world record. Tyson Gay and Justin Gatlin recorded exceptionally fast legal times, while Carl Lewis held the record earlier in his career and equaled the standing mark in 1991 before Bolt’s era.