Usain Bolt stole the show at three Olympic Games with his exuberant personality and astonishing athletic ability.
The popular Jamaican is now considered as one of the greatest Olympians of all time – and for good reason.
He collected eight gold medals across Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016, completing a historic triple-double in the 100 metre and 200m races.
Of all of his triumphs, the most impressive was arguably his 100m victory at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Bolt beat a glamorous lineup of opponents to make history at the Games, despite being doubted in the build- up to the race.
The run-up to London 2012
Bolt already had three Olympic gold medals heading into London 2012, having triumphed in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m four years prior.
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Although he was still the fastest man in the world, there were doubts about Bolt’s ability to become the first man to successfully defend an Olympic sprint title since Carl Lewis in 1988.
These doubts started when the Jamaican star was disqualified from the 100m final at the 2011 World Athletics Championships after a false start. Clearly distraught, Bolt had to leave the track and watch as his compatriot Yohan Blake took the world title instead.
The following year, Bolt was involved in an early-morning car crash just six weeks before the Olympic Games. Although he was not injured and recovered quickly, the incident was shortly followed by a loss to Blake during the Jamaican trials for the Olympics.
While these were all minor episodes in the grand scheme of things, they created a sense of doubt about Bolt’s ability to perform on the greatest stage of all. His preparations for the London 2012 Olympic Games were consequently carried out with scepticism swirling around him.
Beating a star-studded line up
The doubts were erased by Bolt’s performances as London 2012 got underway. He won his heat with ease, before dominating again in his semi-final.
The obstacle between Bolt and another Olympic gold medal then became his opponents. The 100m final lineup was an incredibe star-studded affair, with some of the best sprinting talent in recent years set to be on the starting blocks.
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Bolt may have been the 100m world record holder but there were two others who had previously held the status of the fastest man in history – America's Justin Gatlin and Jamaica's Asafa Powell.
Gatlin had already enjoyed his glory years, earning a 100m Olympic gold medal in 2004 and a world title in 2005, but he was still a force to be reckoned with. Fellow Team USA star Tyson Gay was another former 100m world champion to make the final.
Of course, Bolt’s biggest concern was probably Blake, who had shown he could run faster than his Jamaican teammate just a month prior.
Storming to victory
The world’s eyes were on London’s Olympic Stadium on August 5, 2012, as eight sprinters prepared themselves to race across 100m.
There was commotion in the crowd when the starting pistol sounded as a man threw a bottle onto the track, but the athletes were fully focused on the job at hand.
Bolt got off to a slow start but soon caught up with his opponents, before storming into the lead. He crossed the finish line in 9.63 seconds, setting a new Olympic record.
Blake finished second with a personal best of 9.75, while Gatlin pipped his American teammate Gay to the bronze medal in 9.79.
In fact, a record seven of the eight competitors ran under ten seconds.
It’s possible that all eight runners could have achieved the feat, but Powell’s race was severely impacted after he pulled up with an injury. Gay’s result was later discarded after he was handed a doping charge, but the race remains one of the fastest 100m contests in history.
Bolt had proved the doubters wrong. "I have nothing to say," he said, when asked to respond to his critics.
"I said it on the track. All they can do is talk. I said when it comes to the championships it's all about me."
He did admit that his loss to Blake a month beforehand had given him a wake up call.
“The trials woke me up ... Yohan gave me a wake-up call,” he said. “He knocked on my door and said, 'Usain this is the Olympic year, wake up'. After that I refocused and got my head together.”
Bolt went on to win two more Olympic gold medals in London, triumphing in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay.
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He won all three again at Rio 2016, making history as the first athlete to win the 100m and 200m at three successive Olympic Games.
By the end of his illustrious career, everyone had learnt – never doubt Usain Bolt.