The sprinting record Usain Bolt never tried to break – but could he have smashed USA star’s time?
The World Athletics Indoor Championship is a timely reminder that the fastest man in history never competed in one of its cornerstone events. That is because Usain Bolt never ran in the 60m sprint, despite holding the 100m and 200m world records. Bolt broke numerous records, but never the 60mGetty The 100m women’s world record holder, Florence Griffith-Joyner, equally never stepped on the shortened track to put her skills to the test. In Bolt’s case, he was notoriously slow off the blocks, relatively speaking, before getting up to top speed. Scientists believed that it was because of his huge 6ft5in frame, which made it tough for him to get up to full speed. The current 60m world record is held by USA track star Christian Coleman. He obliterated the time in 2018 when he set a mark of 6.34 seconds. Maurice Greene’s record of 6.39 seconds had stood since 1998. So could Usain Bolt have broken the 60m world record, technically yes. Bolt broke the 100m world record in 2008 with a truly astonishing time of 9.58 seconds. Splits from that race at the World Championships reveal he ran the first 60m in 6.31 seconds, faster than Coleman’s current time. That could have been even quicker too, in a recent interview he revealed that he thought he could have broken the 100m world record in 2011. Coleman is the current 60m world record holderGetty Appearing on The Fix podcast, Bolt explained: “If I hadn’t got injured in the season, I would have broken the record again. “That year, I was floating. I was running very well and the coach was excited. It was the first time I heard him say we were going to race and break the world record.” Although that is not even the fastest 60m split time ever recorded. That goes to Chinese athlete Su Bingtian. He ran the first 60m of a race in the Tokyo Olympics at 6.29 seconds. At the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championship, there was success for Great Britain in the 60m race as Jeremiah Azu brought home the gold. He equalled his personal best time of 6.49 seconds to narrowly edge out Australian rival Lachlan Kennedy. Azu is the new 60m world championGetty Speaking to talkSPORT the day after it happened, Azu said: “I think sometimes we act as if the next day is just another day and try and just get on with things as normal, but then you get five minutes, you get lost in thought and then you realise what you’ve actually done. “You’re just like, what on earth is going on? I think that’s the best way to explain it because it’s not like every moment I’m the world champion. “You’re having a conversation or you’re sitting at breakfast and then you just daze off and you’re like, what actually happened yesterday? That’s real, it wasn’t a dream.”
The World Athletics Indoor Championship is a timely reminder that the fastest man in history never competed in one of its cornerstone events.
That is because Usain Bolt never ran in the 60m sprint, despite holding the 100m and 200m world records.
The 100m women’s world record holder, Florence Griffith-Joyner, equally never stepped on the shortened track to put her skills to the test.
In Bolt’s case, he was notoriously slow off the blocks, relatively speaking, before getting up to top speed.
Scientists believed that it was because of his huge 6ft5in frame, which made it tough for him to get up to full speed.
The current 60m world record is held by USA track star Christian Coleman.
He obliterated the time in 2018 when he set a mark of 6.34 seconds.
Maurice Greene’s record of 6.39 seconds had stood since 1998.
So could Usain Bolt have broken the 60m world record, technically yes.
Bolt broke the 100m world record in 2008 with a truly astonishing time of 9.58 seconds.
Splits from that race at the World Championships reveal he ran the first 60m in 6.31 seconds, faster than Coleman’s current time.
That could have been even quicker too, in a recent interview he revealed that he thought he could have broken the 100m world record in 2011.
Appearing on The Fix podcast, Bolt explained: “If I hadn’t got injured in the season, I would have broken the record again.
“That year, I was floating. I was running very well and the coach was excited. It was the first time I heard him say we were going to race and break the world record.”
Although that is not even the fastest 60m split time ever recorded. That goes to Chinese athlete Su Bingtian.
He ran the first 60m of a race in the Tokyo Olympics at 6.29 seconds.
At the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championship, there was success for Great Britain in the 60m race as Jeremiah Azu brought home the gold.
He equalled his personal best time of 6.49 seconds to narrowly edge out Australian rival Lachlan Kennedy.
Speaking to talkSPORT the day after it happened, Azu said: “I think sometimes we act as if the next day is just another day and try and just get on with things as normal, but then you get five minutes, you get lost in thought and then you realise what you’ve actually done.
“You’re just like, what on earth is going on? I think that’s the best way to explain it because it’s not like every moment I’m the world champion.
“You’re having a conversation or you’re sitting at breakfast and then you just daze off and you’re like, what actually happened yesterday? That’s real, it wasn’t a dream.”
