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2016 Rio Olympics: Who is the fastest man alive?

By Michael Whitlow

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 22: Usain Bolt of Jamaica celebrates after winning the mens 200m during Day One of the Muller Anniversary Games at The Stadium - Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on July 22, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Christopher Lee/Getty Images )
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 22: Usain Bolt of Jamaica celebrates after winning the mens 200m during Day One of the Muller Anniversary Games at The Stadium - Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on July 22, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Christopher Lee/Getty Images ) /
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With the 2016 Rio Olympics just a couple weeks away, the title of “Fastest Man on Earth” will be up for grabs on the track. Who currently holds the title?

Usain Bolt took over the world during the 2008 Summer Olympic Games from Beijing.

During the 100-meter and 200-meter finals, Bolt became the first man to set world and Olympic records in both events and would later win a third gold medal with Jamaica’s 4×100-meter team. (They also set world and Olympic records with a time of 37.10 seconds.)

It didn’t take long for Bolt to shatter both of his individual world records from the 2008 Olympics. During the 2009 World Championships in Germany, Bolt set the world record in the 100-meter (9.58 seconds) and the 200-meter (19.19 seconds) again and solidified himself as the fastest human on the planet.

Bolt would go 3-for-3 in those events three years later in the 2012 London Olympics and would go on to call himself a “legend” and “the greatest athlete to ever live“. (That’s highly debatable, but in terms of track and field, he has a case.)

To answer the question fully: Usain Bolt is the fastest man alive.

Unfortunately for fans of the Olympics, the 2016 Rio Olympics will be Bolt’s last Olympic appearance for the Jamaican National Team on the track. He’s been the most must-see athlete in track and field for the last eight years and has become a world-renowned icon because of the Olympics.

When Usain Bolt is running in a lane on the track, you have to watch. It’s not only must-see-television, but it’s can’t-miss-programming. The track and field community will take a hit after Bolt’s departure from Olympic competition, but just like Michael Phelps in the pool, the world will at least get to enjoy him one more time in the Olympics.

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