Sprint icon Usain Bolt may hold the world records in both the 100m and 200m events, but he has now revealed that one of these achievements holds a deeper emotional significance. Despite his legendary 9.58-second 100m world record, it’s the 200m event that he treasures the most.
“The 200m is my favourite event,” Bolt confessed on the Ready Set Go podcast, hosted by fellow track legend Justin Gatlin. “So when I got that, it meant so much more to me than the 100m.”
Bolt’s 200m dominance began at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where he clocked a then-world-record 19.30 seconds, breaking what he once believed was an unbreakable barrier. That record had been set by Michael Johnson at 19.32 seconds, and Bolt admitted he doubted whether anyone, including himself, could surpass it. “When I broke it in 08, I didn’t know I could do it,” he said.
However, the Jamaican superstar stunned the world again just a year later at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, slashing his own time down to an astonishing 19.19 seconds — a benchmark that still stands unchallenged to this day.
“Even now people say, ‘Oh the 100?’ And I’m [like], ‘But, 200m, you know what I mean?’ It’s my favourite thing. When it comes to the 200m I don’t fear anybody. I’m ready all the time,” Bolt added, expressing the deep pride and confidence he holds for the longer sprint.
But the sprinting world is buzzing again with the emergence of teenage Australian phenom Gout Gout, who at just 17 has already bettered Bolt’s under-16 record for the 200m. Gout recently clocked an eye-popping, though wind-assisted, 19.98 seconds — a staggering feat for his age. His wind-assisted 9.99 seconds in the 100m has further amplified excitement around his future potential.
While Bolt’s records still stand tall, Gout’s performances have stirred speculation that the next sprint king might be on the rise. In a light-hearted response, Bolt teased the possibility of returning for a fun showdown: “I’m ready, just for the fun of it. I’m ready, let’s go. It’ll be fun,” he said. He even suggested a fantasy lineup featuring legendary sprinters like Justin Gatlin, Tyson Gay, Asafa Powell, Yohan Blake, Maurice Green, and Ben Johnson — and added, “Let’s give Noah [Lyles] the spot just because I would love to race against him.”
