Usain Bolt for much of the last 10 years, two Olympics and many World Championships has dominated the men’s sprint events, making him a safe banker for punters around the Globe.
The Jamaican superstar will again be the no.1 attraction on the track at the Rio Olympics, starting on August 5 and finishing on August 21.
This article will teach you where to bet on the six times Olympic gold medallist if you are from Australia, run you through some of his greatest achievements and describe the rise and rise of the greatest sprinter of all-time.
How to bet on the men 100m & 200m sprints
Australians have an abundance of online betting sites to bet on the Rio Olympics. Most of them will offer huge incentives to gamble with them so it pays to do your homework before committing to a bookmaker. Gamble.com.au recommends opening multiple accounts to make the most of the betting landscape in Australia. Our top six bookies, in order, for Olympic betting are:
- William Hill
- Sportsbet
- Crownbet
- Bet365
- Palmerbet
Bolt’s rise from precautious talent to ubiquitous superstar
Arguably the greatest athlete the world has seen and easily the most recognisable, Usain Bolt transcends the running track.
Usain Bolt’s incredible journey towards the top of the Olympic tree started in one of the more unorthodox ways imaginable.
Bolt’s first appearance on the ‘big stage’ was a bronze medal performance in the 80 metre hurdles.
It was a Class Three event at Western Champs held on the campus of his Alma Mater William Knibb Memorial High in Martha Brae, Trelawny, and while he only came third that day, his star had already begun to rise.
A promising athlete across a number of track disciplines and a talented fast bowler, Bolt focused on his sprinting career – a decision which would pay handsome dividends.
Bolt announced his arrival to the wider global audience in July 2002 at the IAAF World Junior T&F Championships in Kingston, Jamaica.
Usain Bolt won the host nation’s only individual gold medal, winning the 200m in 20.61 seconds.
He left that meet with three medals including two silver medals in the relays, anchoring the 4x100m team and was part of the 4x400m team as well.
If there were any doubts Bolt was on his way to superstardom, they were alleviated at that meet.
Outside of his numerous Olympic and World Championship accolades, Bolt has been acknowledged by the sporting world as one of the true great athletes on earth.
Usain Bolt has been awarded the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year on two occasions (2009 & 2010) and has been named the IAAF Male Athlete of the Year five times (2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013).
Bolt summed up not only his thoughts, but the thoughts of every one who witnessed his brilliance after winning gold over the 200 metres at the London Olympics in 2012.
“It’s what I came here to do. I’m now a legend. I’m also the greatest athlete to live. I’ve got nothing left to prove.”
Bolt’s greatest triumph comes outside the Olympics
While many will debate which Usain Bolt race was his crowning achievement, his victory against convicted drug cheat Justin Gatlin at the World Athletics Championships in Beijing in 2015 could be his best ever performance.
The weight of the world was on Bolt’s shoulders after Gatlin looked like he was a major threat to the World Championship title that Bolt felt was his right.
Gatlin’s drug conviction and subsequent ability to compete again threatened to invalidate the entire sport in the eyes of the sporting public.
Bolt looked like he was below his best in the final but in the end he did what he always does – he won.
In his trademark cheeky style, Bolt said the result was ‘never in doubt’.
He may have all kinds of records and gold medals to his name, but singlehandedly taking sport of track and field out of gutter and back into the lights may be his greatest ever achievement.
Six golds make Bolt the greatest track & field athlete of all time
Unlike just about any athlete the world has ever seen, Bolt’s gold medal record speaks for itself. Bolt not only holds world records but he has double figure records across the Olympics and the World Championships.
He is without question the world’s fastest man, having broken the 100m three times and the 200m record twice in his career. With Rio coming up on the horizon – which could very well be his last competing Olympic games – there is every chance Bolt will add more gold to his already impressive medal tally.
Bolt’s Olympic gold medal runs
100m – 9.69 seconds
Beijing, 2008
100m – 9.63 seconds
London, 2012
200m – 19.30 seconds
Beijing, 2008
200m – 19.32 seconds
London, 2012
4x100m – 37.10 seconds
Beijing, 2008
4x100m – 36.84 seconds
London, 2012
Bolt’s world championship gold medals
100m – 9.58 seconds
Berlin, 2009
100m – 9.77 seconds
Moscow, 2013
100m – 9.79 seconds
Beijing, 2015
200m – 19.19 seconds
Berlin, 2009
200m – 19.40 seconds
Daegu, 2011
200m – 19.66 seconds
Moscow, 2013
200m – 19.55 seconds
Beijing, 2015
4x100m – 37.31 seconds
Berlin, 2009
4x100m – 37.04 seconds
Daegu, 2011
4x100m – 37.36 seconds
Moscow, 2013
4x100m – 37.36 seconds
Beijing, 2015
