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Usain Bolt has been involved in some of the greatest 100m races in athletics history. The likes of Carl Lewis, Noah Lyles and Yohan Blake have also featured in some popular races in the discipline.
The men's 100m race has always been one of the most thrilling and anticipated races in the athletics world. The sheer intensity of the race, where the victory is decided merely by a second, provides the fans with nail-biting showdowns.
The legacy of the event has been marked by multiple elite athletes, including Jesse Owens, Carl Lewis, and Usain Bolt. The latter's world record set in 2009 marks the benchmark in the sport. On that note, let's take a look at the top five men's 100m races of all time.
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#1 Men's 100m at the 2012 London Olympics
The 100m men's race at the 2012 London Olympics witnessed two Jamaican sensational sprinters vie for the highest sports glory. Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake locked horns in the finals with Bolt leading the event with a narrow gap of 0.12 seconds.
While Bolt dominated the event with 9.63 seconds, Blake recorded 9.75 seconds. Both sprinters solidified Jamaica's dominance in the event. The Jamaican sprinters were followed by Justin Gatlin, who recorded 9.79 seconds.
#2 Men's 100m at the 2016 Rio Olympics
Usain Bolt competed in his last Olympic 100m event at the 2016 Rio Games. He outshined the lineup, including Yohan Blake, Akine Simbine, and Justin Gatlin. Although Bolt had a slow start to the race, he blazed off at the last 30m of the race.
Even after the unusually slow start, Bolt surpassed his previous round's timings in the finals. He posted 10.07 and 9.86 seconds in the heats and semifinals, respectively. Bolt registered a spectacular time of 9.81 seconds to defeat Justin Gatlin and Canada's Andre De Grasse, who recorded 9.89 and 9,91 seconds, respectively.
#3 Men's 100m at the 2009 World Athletics Championships with Usain Bolt setting iconic world record
The 100m men's at the 2009 World Championships defined the benchmark of the event with Usain Bolt establishing a new world record with a whopping time of 9.58 seconds. The world record still stands strong even after multiple efforts of other elite athletes to shatter it. To achieve this historic feat, Bolt left behind Tyson Gay and fellow teammate Asafa Powell, who recorded 9.71 and 9.84 seconds.
#4 Men's 100m at the 2023 World Championships
The men's 100m event at the 2023 World Atheltics Championships marked an important race as it displayed the prospects for the upcoming Paris Olympics 2024.
Noah Lyles and Letsile Tebogo went head-to-head to earn the victory. Lyles surpassed Tebogo with a narrow gap after clocking 9.83 seconds. The slim gap between the two athletes was 0.05. They were followed by Zharnel Hughes, who posted 9.88 seconds.
#5 Men's 100m at the 1984 Olympics
Carl Lewis secured his first Olympic medal at the 1984 Olympics in the 100m event. He ran alongside the other contenders, only to burst out energetically at the last few meters, posting 9.99 seconds, becoming the only athlete in the lineup to record a sub-10. He was followed by Sam Graddy (10.19s) and Ben Johnson (10.22s).
