ESPN recently released a list of the top 100 athletes in the world since 2000. Usain Bolt, the star of track and field, came in ninth place on the list of the greatest athletes of the 21st century.
The sprinter from Jamaica has an amazing track history. In his four Olympic Games, he won nine gold medals (one of which he had to return because of a doping violation by a colleague), and he still owns three world records in the 100, 200, and 4×100-metre relay. Bolt broke the 100-metre record for the third time in 9.58 seconds in 2009, making him the fastest man in the world with such a record.
Bolt making history
Bolt accomplished the triple-triple at his most recent Games in Rio 2016, taking home three sprint golds in three straight Olympics. Even though he retired in 2018, the track community will never forget his incredible accomplishments.
He is one of three Olympians in the ESPN top 10. The only other Olympians in the top 10 are swimmer Michael Phelps ( in first place) and gymnast Simone Biles (seventh place).
Sprinters Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica and Allyson Felix of the United States are ranked 63rd and 77th, respectively. Felix represented Team USA in the Olympics five times, winning seven gold medals, three silver, and one bronze. Fraser-Pryce has won eight medals and three titles in the Olympics and has also qualified for the Summer Games in Paris. It will be her fifth and final Games.
Source: Running Magazine