Men's 100 metres at the Games of the XXIX Olympiad | ||||||||||
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![]() Bolt after winning the 100m final | ||||||||||
Venue | Beijing National Stadium | |||||||||
Dates |
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Competitors | 80 from 64 nations | |||||||||
Winning time | 9.69 WR | |||||||||
Medalists | ||||||||||
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External videos | |
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Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics | ||
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Track events | ||
100 m | men | women |
200 m | men | women |
400 m | men | women |
800 m | men | women |
1500 m | men | women |
5000 m | men | women |
10,000 m | men | women |
100 m hurdles | women | |
110 m hurdles | men | |
400 m hurdles | men | women |
3000 m steeplechase | men | women |
4 × 100 m relay | men | women |
4 × 400 m relay | men | women |
Road events | ||
Marathon | men | women |
20 km walk | men | women |
50 km walk | men | |
Field events | ||
Long jump | men | women |
Triple jump | men | women |
High jump | men | women |
Pole vault | men | women |
Shot put | men | women |
Discus throw | men | women |
Javelin throw | men | women |
Hammer throw | men | women |
Combined events | ||
Heptathlon | women | |
Decathlon | men | |
The men's 100 metres sprint event at the 2008 Olympic Games took place on 15 and 16 August at the Beijing National Stadium. [1] 80 athletes from 64 nations competed. [2] Each nation was limited to 3 athletes per rules in force since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The final was won by Jamaican Usain Bolt in a world record time of 9.69 seconds. It was Jamaica's first title in the event, and first medal in the event since 1976. Jamaica became the first country to join the men's 100 metre winners since Trinidad and Tobago, also in 1976; Richard Thompson won the country's fourth overall medal in the event with his silver.
Holding a considerable lead 70 metres (230 ft) into the race, Bolt opened his arms in celebration before slapping his chest. British athlete and television presenter Kriss Akabusi criticized this gesture as showboating, noting that it cost Bolt an even faster record time. [3] IOC president Jacques Rogge also criticized Bolt's actions as disrespectful. [4] [5] Bolt denied that this was the purpose of his mid-race celebration, stating, "I wasn't bragging. When I saw I wasn't covered, I was just happy." [6]
Prior to the 2008 season, Usain Bolt was known as a 200-metre sprinter, having set the world youth best in the event four years earlier; he had only run in the 100 metres the year before, with a one-off race in Rethymno. While people were impressed with his time of 10.03 seconds, [7] Bolt was not seen as a threat by other 100-metre sprinters who had previously hit times of 9.9 seconds.
In early May, Bolt persuaded his coach to let him try competing in the 100 metre sprint again. His resulting time of 9.76 seconds was the second-fastest in history, only .02 seconds behind fellow Jamaican Asafa Powell's world record. [8] At the end of the month he entered another 100 metres at the Adidas Grand Prix in New York City. The result was a new world record of 9.72 seconds.
While Bolt's slow starts were seen as a liability, his speed once moving was difficult for other athletes to match. Bolt achieved the fastest times in both the quarterfinal and semi-final rounds, while injured Gay and Obikwelu were eliminated. The center lanes of the final, reserved for the fastest qualifiers, included Bolt, Powell, Dix and another collegiate phenom from LSU, Richard Thompson.
In the final, the third Jamaican in the race, Michael Frater, got the best start, along with Thompson and Darvis Patton. 30 m (98 ft) into the race, Bolt had reached his full running position and had pulled even with the leader, Thompson. By the next 20 m (66 ft), Bolt had pulled away, with Thompson breaking up a sweep of Frater and Powell.
20 metres before the finish, already with a 3-metre (9.8 ft) lead, Bolt held out his arms in celebration; behind him, Dix and Churandy Martina made a late rush to overtake Frater and Powell. Turning to look back at his fellow competitors, Bolt crossed the finish line sideways with his arms outstretched, finishing with a new world record of 9.69 seconds. Thompson later said that "I could see him slowing down ahead as I was still pumping away." [9]
The 2008 Olympic Games was the 26th time the event was held, having appeared at every Olympics since the first in 1896. Four finalists from 2004 returned: silver medalist Francis Obikwelu of Portugal, fifth-place finisher Asafa Powell of Jamaica, sixth-place finisher Kim Collins of Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Aziz Zakari of Ghana, who had been unable to finish the final. Collins and Zakari had also been to the final in 2000. Defending gold medalist Justin Gatlin was banned at the time for failing a second drugs test, testing positive for testosterone. [10]
In Gatlin's absence, the United States team was led by Tyson Gay, the reigning world champion, who had suffered a hamstring injury at the U.S. trials. An ascendant Jamaican team included Powell, who had held the world record from 2005 to 2008, and Usain Bolt, who had taken the world record in May 2008. [2]
The Czech Republic, the Marshall Islands, and Tuvalu appeared in the event for the first time. The United States made its 25th appearance in the event, the most of any country, having missed only the boycotted 1980 Olympic Games.
Each National Olympic Committee (NOC) was able to enter up to three entrants providing they had met the A qualifying standard (10.21 seconds) in the qualifying period (1 January 2007 to 23 July 2008). NOCs were also permitted to enter one athlete providing he had met the B standard (10.28 seconds) in the same qualifying period. [11]
The event retained the same basic four round format introduced in 1920: heats, quarterfinals, semifinals, and a final. The "fastest loser" system, introduced in 1968, was used again to ensure that the quarterfinals and subsequent rounds had exactly 8 runners per heat; this time, the system was used in both the heats and quarterfinals.
The first round consisted of 10 heats, each with 8 or 9 athletes. The top three runners in each heat advanced, along with the next ten fastest runners overall. This made 40 quarterfinalists, who were divided into 5 heats of 8 runners. The top three runners in each quarterfinal advanced, with one "fastest loser" place. The 16 semifinalists competed in two heats of 8, with the top four in each semifinal advancing to the eight-man final. [2]
Prior to the competition, the existing world record, Olympic record, and world leading time were as follows:
World record | ![]() | 9.72 seconds | New York City, United States | 31 May 2008 |
Olympic record | ![]() | 9.84 seconds | Atlanta, United States | 27 July 1996 |
World leading | ![]() | 9.72 seconds | New York City, United States | 31 May 2008 |
The following new world and Olympic records were set during the competition:
Date | Event | Athlete | Time | OR | WR |
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16 August | Final | ![]() | 9.69 seconds | OR | WR |
All times are China Standard Time (UTC+8).
Date | Time | Round |
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Friday, 15 August 2008 | 09:4519:45 | HeatsQuarterfinals |
Saturday, 16 August 2008 | 20:0022:30 | SemifinalsFinal |
Eight years after the event, the IOC reanalyzed doping samples and disqualified Samuel Francis for having stanozolol in his sample. [12]
The first round was held on 15 August. The first three runners of each heat plus the next ten overall fastest runners qualified for the second round.
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 3 | Usain Bolt | ![]() | 0.186 | 10.20 | Q | |
2 | 9 | Daniel Bailey | ![]() | 0.198 | 10.24 | Q | |
3 | 6 | Vicente de Lima | ![]() | 0.168 | 10.26 | Q, SB | |
4 | 2 | Henry Vizcaíno | ![]() | 0.157 | 10.28 | q | |
5 | 4 | Fabio Cerutti | ![]() | 0.136 | 10.49 | ||
6 | 5 | Jurgen Themen | ![]() | 0.179 | 10.61 | PB | |
7 | 8 | Moses Kamut | ![]() | 0.181 | 10.81 | ||
8 | 7 | Francis Manioru | ![]() | 0.197 | 11.09 | ||
Wind: -0.2 m/s |
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 5 | Asafa Powell | ![]() | 0.142 | 10.16 | Q | |
2 | 3 | Kim Collins | ![]() | 0.162 | 10.17 | Q | |
3 | 7 | Craig Pickering | ![]() | 0.174 | 10.21 | Q | |
4 | 2 | Daniel Grueso | ![]() | 0.178 | 10.35 | q | |
5 | 9 | Dariusz Kuć | ![]() | 0.144 | 10.44 | q | |
6 | 8 | Béranger Bosse | ![]() | 0.144 | 10.51 | SB | |
7 | 6 | Aisea Tohi | ![]() | 0.159 | 11.17 | ||
8 | 4 | Roman William Cress | ![]() | 0.190 | 11.18 | ||
Wind: 0.0 m/s |
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 8 | Richard Thompson | ![]() | 0.188 | 10.24 | Q | |
2 | 5 | Martial Mbandjock | ![]() | 0.162 | 10.26 | Q | |
3 | 4 | Simone Collio | ![]() | 0.140 | 10.32 | Q | |
4 | 2 | Aziz Zakari | ![]() | 0.177 | 10.34 | q | |
5 | 6 | Andrew Hinds | ![]() | 0.140 | 10.35 | q | |
6 | 3 | Suryo Agung Wibowo | ![]() | 0.175 | 10.46 | ||
7 | 7 | Jared Lewis | ![]() | 0.123 | 11.00 | ||
8 | 9 | Rabangaki Nawai | ![]() | 0.152 | 11.29 | SB | |
Wind: 0.0 m/s |
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 3 | Michael Frater | ![]() | 0.156 | 10.15 | Q | |
2 | 4 | Pierre Browne | ![]() | 0.141 | 10.22 | Q | |
3 | 6 | Darrel Brown | ![]() | 0.139 | 10.22 | Q | |
4 | 7 | Nobuharu Asahara | ![]() | 0.160 | 10.25 | q | |
5 | 9 | Holder da Silva | ![]() | 0.184 | 10.58 | ||
6 | 2 | Idrissa Sanou | ![]() | 0.171 | 10.63 | ||
7 | 8 | Ghyd-Kermeliss-Holly Olonghot | ![]() | 0.172 | 11.01 | ||
8 | 5 | Massoud Azizi | ![]() | 0.160 | 11.45 | ||
Wind: 0.2 m/s |
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | Tyson Gay | ![]() | 0.148 | 10.22 | Q | |
2 | 5 | Olusoji A. Fasuba | ![]() | 0.156 | 10.29 | Q | |
3 | 4 | José Carlos Moreira | ![]() | 0.192 | 10.29 | Q | |
4 | 7 | Ángel David Rodríguez | ![]() | 0.145 | 10.34 | q | |
5 | 9 | Lukas Milo | ![]() | 0.145 | 10.52 | ||
6 | 8 | Mhadjou Youssouf | ![]() | 0.170 | 10.62 | PB | |
7 | 3 | Danny D'Souza | ![]() | 0.180 | 11.00 | ||
8 | 6 | Shanahan Sanitoa | ![]() | 0.158 | 12.60 | ||
Wind: 0.7 m/s |
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 5 | Tyrone Edgar | ![]() | 0.138 | 10.13 | Q | |
2 | 6 | Darvis Patton | ![]() | 0.149 | 10.25 | Q | |
3 | 7 | Ronald Pognon | ![]() | 0.167 | 10.26 | Q | |
4 | 2 | Hu Kai | ![]() | 0.152 | 10.39 | q | |
5 | 4 | Abdullah Al-Sooli | ![]() | 0.153 | 10.53 | PB | |
6 | 8 | Desislav Gunev | ![]() | 0.152 | 10.66 | ||
7 | 3 | Ali Shareef | ![]() | 0.171 | 11.11 | NR | |
8 | 9 | Souksavanh Tonsacktheva | ![]() | 0.183 | 11.51 | ||
Wind: 0.9 m/s |
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 4 | Francis Obikwelu | ![]() | 0.190 | 10.25 | Q | |
2 | 2 | Obinna Metu | ![]() | 0.176 | 10.34 | Q | |
3 | 5 | Walter Dix | ![]() | 0.167 | 10.35 | Q | |
4 | 6 | Anson Henry | ![]() | 0.138 | 10.37 | q | |
5 | 8 | Dmytro Hlushchenko | ![]() | 0.200 | 10.57 | ||
6 | 3 | Calvin Kang Li Loong | ![]() | 0.140 | 10.73 | ||
7 | 9 | Jesse Tamangrow | ![]() | 0.146 | 11.38 | PB | |
8 | 7 | Reginaldo Micha Ndong | ![]() | 0.242 | 11.61 | ||
Wind: -1.4 m/s |
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 3 | Derrick Atkins | ![]() | 0.162 | 10.28 | Q | |
2 | 4 | Andrey Yepishin | ![]() | 0.172 | 10.34 | Q | |
3 | 9 | Jaysuma Saidy Ndure | ![]() | 0.164 | 10.37 | Q | |
4 | 6 | Uchenna Emedolu | ![]() | 0.192 | 10.46 | ||
5 | 2 | Suwaibou Sanneh | ![]() | 0.157 | 10.52 | ||
6 | 5 | Sandro Viana | ![]() | 0.160 | 10.60 | ||
7 | 7 | Lai Chun Ho | ![]() | 0.199 | 10.63 | ||
8 | 8 | Mohamed Abu Abdullah | ![]() | 0.174 | 11.07 | ||
Wind: -0.1 m/s |
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 6 | Samuel Francis | ![]() | 0.153 | 10.40 DSQ | Q | |
2 | 5 | Marc Burns | ![]() | 0.160 | 10.46 | Q | |
3 | 9 | Matic Osovnikar | ![]() | 0.187 | 10.46 | Q | |
4 | 7 | Rolando Palacios | ![]() | 0.189 | 10.49 | ||
5 | 2 | Ruslan Abbasov | ![]() | 0.154 | 10.58 | ||
6 | 4 | Sébastien Gattuso | ![]() | 0.164 | 10.70 | ||
7 | 8 | Jack Howard | ![]() | 0.204 | 11.03 | ||
8 | 3 | Gordon Heather | ![]() | 0.214 | 11.41 | PB | |
Wind: -1.7 m/s |
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 4 | Churandy Martina | ![]() | 0.164 | 10.35 | Q | |
2 | 5 | Naoki Tsukahara | ![]() | 0.169 | 10.39 | Q | |
3 | 6 | Simeon Williamson | ![]() | 0.183 | 10.42 | Q | |
4 | 9 | Tobias Unger | ![]() | 0.161 | 10.46 | q | |
5 | 8 | Franklin Nazareno | ![]() | 0.178 | 10.60 | ||
6 | 7 | Wilfried Bingangoye | ![]() | 0.171 | 10.87 | ||
7 | 2 | Moumi Sebergue | ![]() | 0.210 | 11.14 | ||
8 | 3 | Okilani Tinilau | ![]() | 0.174 | 11.48 | NR | |
Wind: -1.3 m/s |
The quarterfinals were held on 15 August. The first three runners of each heat plus the next overall fastest runner qualified for the semifinals.
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 4 | Churandy Martina | ![]() | 0.142 | 9.99 | Q, NR | |
2 | 7 | Michael Frater | ![]() | 0.154 | 10.09 | Q | |
3 | 6 | Naoki Tsukahara | ![]() | 0.156 | 10.23 | Q, SB | |
4 | 9 | Simeon Williamson | ![]() | 0.127 | 10.32 | ||
5 | 3 | Henry Vizcaíno | ![]() | 0.167 | 10.33 | ||
6 | 5 | Pierre Browne | ![]() | 0.144 | 10.36 | ||
7 | 2 | Dariusz Kuć | ![]() | 0.176 | 10.46 | ||
8 | 8 | Darrel Brown | ![]() | 0.119 | 10.93 | ||
Wind: -0.1 m/s |
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 6 | Richard Thompson | ![]() | 0.170 | 9.99 | Q | |
2 | 4 | Tyson Gay | ![]() | 0.146 | 10.09 | Q | |
3 | 7 | Martial Mbandjock | ![]() | 0.160 | 10.16 | Q | |
4 | 5 | Olusoji A. Fasuba | ![]() | 0.147 | 10.21 | ||
5 | 2 | Andrew Hinds | ![]() | 0.148 | 10.25 | ||
6 | 8 | José Carlos Moreira | ![]() | 0.193 | 10.32 | ||
7 | 9 | Simone Collio | ![]() | 0.138 | 10.33 | ||
8 | 3 | Daniel Grueso | ![]() | 0.193 | 10.37 | ||
Wind: 0.0 m/s |
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 6 | Marc Burns | ![]() | 0.174 | 10.05 | Q | |
2 | 4 | Kim Collins | ![]() | 0.150 | 10.07 | Q, =SB | |
3 | 5 | Tyrone Edgar | ![]() | 0.130 | 10.10 | Q | |
4 | 7 | Samuel Francis | ![]() | 0.164 | 10.11 DSQ | Q | |
5 | 9 | Ronald Pognon | ![]() | 0.167 | 10.21 | ||
6 | 8 | Matic Osovnikar | ![]() | 0.171 | 10.24 | ||
7 | 2 | Tobias Unger | ![]() | 0.136 | 10.36 | ||
8 | 3 | Nobuharu Asahara | ![]() | 0.145 | 10.37 | ||
Wind: -0.2 m/s |
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 7 | Usain Bolt | ![]() | 0.165 | 9.92 | Q | |
2 | 5 | Darvis Patton | ![]() | 0.159 | 10.04 | Q | |
3 | 4 | Francis Obikwelu | ![]() | 0.168 | 10.09 | Q | |
4 | 8 | Jaysuma Saidy Ndure | ![]() | 0.133 | 10.14 | ||
5 | 9 | Craig Pickering | ![]() | 0.144 | 10.18 | ||
6 | 6 | Obinna Metu | ![]() | 0.174 | 10.27 | ||
7 | 3 | Anson Henry | ![]() | 0.142 | 10.33 | ||
8 | 2 | Ángel David Rodríguez | ![]() | 0.154 | 10.35 | ||
Wind: 0.1 m/s |
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 7 | Asafa Powell | ![]() | 0.149 | 10.02 | Q | |
2 | 9 | Walter Dix | ![]() | 0.163 | 10.08 | Q | |
3 | 5 | Derrick Atkins | ![]() | 0.179 | 10.14 | Q | |
4 | 4 | Daniel Bailey | ![]() | 0.149 | 10.23 | ||
5 | 3 | Aziz Zakari | ![]() | 0.167 | 10.24 | ||
6 | 6 | Andrey Yepishin | ![]() | 0.158 | 10.25 | ||
7 | 8 | Vicente de Lima | ![]() | 0.157 | 10.31 | ||
8 | 2 | Hu Kai | ![]() | 0.165 | 10.40 | ||
Wind: -0.1 m/s |
The semifinals were held on 16 August. The first four runners from each semifinal qualified for the final.
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 7 | Usain Bolt | ![]() | 0.161 | 9.85 | Q | |
2 | 6 | Walter Dix | ![]() | 0.143 | 9.95 | Q, SB | |
3 | 4 | Marc Burns | ![]() | 0.124 | 9.97 | Q, =SB | |
4 | 9 | Michael Frater | ![]() | 0.163 | 10.01 | Q | |
5 | 5 | Kim Collins | ![]() | 0.163 | 10.05 | SB | |
6 | 2 | Derrick Atkins | ![]() | 0.159 | 10.13 | ||
7 | 8 | Tyrone Edgar | ![]() | 0.143 | 10.18 | ||
— | 3 | Samuel Francis | ![]() | 0.146 | 10.20 DSQ | ||
Wind: -0.1 m/s |
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 6 | Asafa Powell | ![]() | 0.161 | 9.91 | Q | |
2 | 7 | Richard Thompson | ![]() | 0.175 | 9.93 | Q, =PB | |
3 | 5 | Churandy Martina | ![]() | 0.138 | 9.94 | Q, NR | |
4 | 4 | Darvis Patton | ![]() | 0.149 | 10.03 | Q | |
5 | 9 | Tyson Gay | ![]() | 0.145 | 10.05 | ||
6 | 8 | Francis Obikwelu | ![]() | 0.157 | 10.10 | ||
7 | 3 | Naoki Tsukahara | ![]() | 0.143 | 10.16 | SB | |
8 | 2 | Martial Mbandjock | ![]() | 0.148 | 10.18 | ||
Wind: 0.3 m/s |
The final was held on 16 August.
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | 4 | Usain Bolt | ![]() | 0.165 | 9.69 | WR | |
![]() | 5 | Richard Thompson | ![]() | 0.133 | 9.89 | PB | |
![]() | 6 | Walter Dix | ![]() | 0.133 | 9.91 | PB | |
4 | 9 | Churandy Martina | ![]() | 0.169 | 9.93 | NR | |
5 | 7 | Asafa Powell | ![]() | 0.134 | 9.95 | ||
6 | 2 | Michael Frater | ![]() | 0.147 | 9.97 | PB | |
7 | 8 | Marc Burns | ![]() | 0.145 | 10.01 | ||
8 | 3 | Darvis Patton | ![]() | 0.142 | 10.03 | ||
Wind: 0.0 m/s |
The men's 100 metres was of one of 23 track events of the athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics, in Athens. It was contested at the Athens Olympic Stadium, from August 21 to 22, by a total of 82 sprinters from 62 nations. Each nation was limited to 3 athletes per rules in force since the 1930 Olympic Congress.
The men's 200 metres at the 2004 Summer Olympics as part of the athletics program was held at the Athens Olympic Stadium from August 24 to 26. There were 54 competitors from 41 nations. The event was won by 0.22 seconds by Shawn Crawford of the United States, the nation's 17th victory in the men's 200 metres after missing the podium entirely four years prior. His teammates Bernard Williams (silver) and Justin Gatlin (bronze) completed the sixth American sweep in the event and first since 1984.
Justin Alexander Gatlin is a retired American sprinter who competed in the 60 meters, 100 meters, and 200 meters. He is the 2004 Olympic Champion in the 100 meters, the 2005 and 2017 World Champion in the 100 meters, the 2005 World Champion in the 200 meters, and the 2019 World Champion in the 4 x 100 meters relay. In addition, Gatlin is the 2003 and 2012 World Indoor Champion in the 60 meters. He is a 5-time Olympic medalist and a 12-time World Championship medalist. At the World Athletics Relays, Gatlin won two gold medals in the 4 x 100 meters relay in 2015 and 2017. Gatlin is also a record 3-time Diamond League Champion in the 100 meters. He won the Diamond League trophy in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
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Usain St. Leo Bolt is a retired Jamaican sprinter, widely considered to be the greatest sprinter of all time. He is an eight-time Olympic gold medalist and the world record holder in the 100 metres, 200 metres, and 4 × 100 metres relay.
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Nesta Carter OD is a Jamaican retired sprinter who specialized in the 100 metres event. Carter was successful as part of the Jamaican 4 x 100 metres relay team, taking gold and setting successive world records at the 2011 World Championships and 2012 London Olympics. He also won a 4 x 100m silver medal at the 2007 World Championship and a gold at the 2015 World Championships. On August 11, 2013, Carter secured an individual 100m World Championship bronze medal in Moscow, behind Justin Gatlin and teammate Usain Bolt. He followed this with another gold in the 4 x 100 metres relay.
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The 100 metres at the Summer Olympics has been contested since the first edition of the multi-sport event. The men's 100 metres has been present on the Olympic athletics programme since 1896. The 100 metres is considered one of the blue ribbon events of the Olympics and is among the highest profile competitions at the games. It is the most prestigious 100 metres race at an elite level and is the shortest sprinting competition at the Olympics – a position it has held at every edition except for a brief period between 1900 and 1904, when a men's 60 metres was contested.
The men's 100 metres event at the 2016 Summer Olympics took place between 13–14 August at the Olympic Stadium. 84 athletes from 57 nations competed.
The men's 200 metres event at the 2016 Summer Olympics took place between 16–18 August in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at the Estádio Olímpico João Havelange. There were 77 competitors from 48 nations. The event was won by Usain Bolt of Jamaica, his third consecutive gold medal in the event. Bolt earned his eighth overall gold, needing only the 4x100 metres relay the next day to complete the sprint triple-triple. It was Jamaica's fourth victory in the event, second-most among nations. Andre De Grasse earned Canada's first medal in the event since 1928 with his silver; Christophe Lemaitre's bronze was France's first since 1960. The United States missed the podium for only the fifth time in the history of the men's 200 metres; it was the first time that it had done so in consecutive Games.
The men's 4 × 100 metres relay competition at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was held at the Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos on 18–19 August.
The men's 100 metres at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics was held at the London Olympic Stadium on 4−5 August. This meet was announced as the last competition for Usain Bolt. The race was won by Justin Gatlin of the United States, ahead of Gatlin's team-mate Christian Coleman, with Usain Bolt finishing third.