5 male sprinters besides Usain Bolt who deserve to be in the GOAT conversation

For the last 11 years, one star in athletics has undoubtedly shone the brightest: Usain Bolt.

With two currently standing individual world records (WR), 13 total individual Olympic and World Championship gold medals, and an aura of sheer invincibility, fans have ample justification to consider him the best there ever has been.

However, despite his amazing accomplishments on the track, and his outstanding work as an ambassador of the sport, Bolt is not the only contender for the ultimate king of the sprints. Here are 5 more candidates for the crown.

#5 Jesse Owens

The year is 1936. The Berlin Olympics are in full swing. Jesse Owens and seven other 100m sprinters get into the blocks. They assume the set position. The gun goes off.

A little over 10 seconds later, Owens has written history. Hardly satisfied, he later proceeds to win gold in the 200m dash, the long jump, and the 4x100m relay.

To top off his Olympic exploits, Owens also concurrently held or equaled the 100m, long jump, and 4x100m WR.

#4 Bob Hayes

1964 OLYMPICS — Bob Hayes (far right) wins the 1964 Olympics 100m Final

"Bullet" Bob Hayes might be less of a track star and more of a track meteor. He burst on to the scene, flared brightly, and was gone in the blink of an eye.

At age 21, Hayes had already retired from track to pursue a career in American football. He did so shortly after having taken part in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, where he won the 100m dash and anchored the winning 4x100m in WR times.

His 100m dash victory is considered particularly memorable because Hayes started in the highly damaged innermost lane and still managed to pull away from the rest of the field. As if annihilating his opponents wasn't enough, he also finished the race in a whopping 10.06-seconds on a roughed up cinder track.

Similarly, while anchoring the 4x100m relay team, Hayes ran a blistering sub-9-second leg to ensure a gold medal for his team even though all seemed lost.

Not only was Hayes a mind-bendingly fast sprinter, he also went on to have a successful career as a wide receiver, culminating in a Superbowl win in 1971. This makes him the only person in history to have won both an Olympic gold medal and a Superbowl ring.

#3 Jim Hines

MEXICO OLYMPICS — Jim Hines (second from right) at the Mexico Olympics

To this day, the "10-second barrier" is considered the benchmark for elite male 100m sprinters to beat. You're only world class if you've gone below that magical number.

The first time in recorded history that humanity went faster was during the men's 100m final at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, and Jim Hines did it.

With a time of 9.95 seconds, Hines set a WR which was considered beyond the capacity of a human being, period.

While he definitely had some help from the new rubber track and the high altitude of Mexico City, his performance inspired the following generations to truly test the boundaries of the human body and spirit, and never again believe in arbitrary limits.

#2 Michael Johnson

So far, the sprinters on this list have been so-called "short sprinters", specializing in the 100m and possibly doubling in the 200m. Michael Johnson is a former "long sprinter", excelling in the 200m and 400m dash.

Johnson's moment of glory came during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. He was set to compete in the 400m and 200m. To save energy for the shorter race, he says, he ran a "conservative" 400m in the Olympic final.

Not only was that more than enough to pull past the competition, he also set an Olympic record (43.49s). Going easy for the first race paid off, as Johnson finished the 200m final in a blazing 19.32s, shattering his own previous mark of 19.66s.

Three years later, Johnson went on to obliterate the WR in the 400m, setting a time of 43.19s. In March 2000, he cemented his status as the quintessential long sprinter, by setting a 300m WR of 30.85s.

It took the combined efforts of Usain Bolt and Wayde van Niekerk over a decade later to improve on the times set by Johnson in all three events.

His diligence, methodical approach and focused demeanor led to him being at the top of his game almost throughout his career. His conditioning was so otherworldly that he rarely seemed fatigued after a race, be it a Diamond League meet or a World Championships final.

#1 Tommie Smith

Smith And Carlos — Tommie Smith finishes first at the 1968 Olympics

If there ever was a complete sprinter, Tommie Smith would be it. Coached by the legendary Bud Winter, Smith could compete in any sprint event and be a serious contender.

During his career, he set a total of 11 world records. By contrast, Usain Bolt got to seven. And while Bolt retired at age 30, Smith did so at age 25.

Smith's track accomplishments contain quite a few firsts:

1. First man to run the 400m dash in under 45 seconds

2. First man to run the 200m dash in under 20 seconds

3. Member of the first 4x400m relay team to go below 3 minutes

Mere mortals would drop out of the Olympics after partially injuring their hamstring. But Smith showed up for the 200m final, competed, won the gold, and set a world record.

Edited by Musab Abid