Statistics show Usain Bolt was never quicker than during his 150m at the 2009 Manchester Citygames. Jason Henderson recalls one of the greatest moments in athletics
On a damp day in Manchester in May 2009, Usain Bolt took to his marks looking for little more than a solid season’s opener. The Olympic sprints champion had recently returned to training after a car crash and was competing over the unusual distance of 150 metres on a temporary track that had been built on Deansgate in the city centre. As rain spat down from the leaden skies, thousands of spectators armed with brollies gathered under the drizzle to watch the inaugural Great CityGames for free.
It was an unlikely setting for what would become the fastest footrace in history. Measuring the average speed in miles per hour from gun to tape, in legal wind conditions of less than 2m/sec, no one has ever managed a quicker average speed.
Bolt’s time of 14.35 equates to 23.38mph and it is superior to the world 100m (23.35mph) and 200m (23.31mph) records that he ran three months later at the IAAF World Championships in Berlin.
Such was Bolt’s ability that day, he even recovered from a stumble out of the blocks to produce pure street theatre as he stormed to victory over Marlon Devonish – the Briton finishing almost a full second behind the Jamaican, with Ivory Williams third and Rikki Fifton fourth.
“The event in Manchester was a lot of fun and something new and different for me,” Bolt told AW, as he remembered the race ahead of the 10th staging of the Manchester CityGames this weekend.
“Training was very good over the winter and spring but it was just a few days after a car accident where I injured my foot so I didn’t have the best preparation.”
The Jamaican, who retired from the sport in 2017, added: “I remember the weather was really bad and there was no warm-up area, so I ended up warming up in a small VIP area inside a building. Then when we went down to the track the sun came out and I was able to do a few strides on the track.”
This story is from the May 17, 2018 edition of Athletics Weekly.
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This story is from the May 17, 2018 edition of Athletics Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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