What year did Usain Bolt run 9.58 in the 100m?

What year did Usain Bolt run 9.58 in the 100m? The answer is 2009. Bolt set the world record at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, winning the final in 9.58 seconds on August 16. The performance remains the fastest officially recorded 100-metre time in history.

Bolt had already become the Olympic champion and world-record holder at the 2008 Beijing Games, where he ran 9.69 seconds. In Berlin, he improved his own mark by 0.11 seconds, an unusually large gain at the elite level. Tyson Gay finished second in 9.71, then the third-fastest time ever recorded.

Bolt's Berlin race was not simply a reaction to a fast start. He reached an estimated top speed of about 12.32 metres per second and continued accelerating through the middle section before separating from the field. His height and long stride were unusual advantages for a sprinter, though his speed also came from exceptional power and technique.

People sometimes confuse 9.58 with Bolt's 9.63 Olympic record, set at London 2012. The 9.58 mark was achieved at a World Championships, not at the Olympics.