4. USAIN BOLT
The mark of a great athlete is the ability to bounce back when it matters the most, and the world’s best sprinter, Usain Bolt did not disappoint in that respect. The year 2015 would no doubt go down in history as one of the toughest seasons of the Jamaican superstar’s career. It was a year when the extraordinary Bolt was almost made to look ordinary.
The triple WR holder had endured a difficult 2014 season that was blighted by injuries, and had to end the year early as a result. Considering that 2015 was a World Championships year, many expected the multiple Olympic medallist to get his groove back in time, especially as fierce rival, Justin Gatlin had taken over, ending 2014 as World No.1 in the 100m and 200m.
Bolt clocked 10.12s in his first outdoor competition this year, running below 10s for the first time in 2015 just a month to the World Championships. He returned a time of 9.87s at the London Anniversary Games where he narrowly won the 100m, having posted the same time in the semis. He competed in the 200m at the Ostrava IAAF World Challenge and New York Diamond League, running 20.13s and 20.29s respectively.
The men’s 100m was the most anticipated event at the Bird’s Nest Stadium; a lot of bets had been made, and fans and pundits alike were only waiting for the possible outcome. Bolt won his heat with 9.96s though Gatlin ran the overall fastest time of 9.83s without breaking a sweat. Bolt came from behind to win his semifinal, clocking the same time he had run in the heats. Once again, Gatlin recorded the fastest time overall.
However the Jamaican sprinting sensation would not be denied as he powered home to win his third 100m world title in a Season’s Best (SB) of 9.79s even as Gatlin floundered. Buoyed by his performance, Bolt went on to destroy Gatlin in the 200m, taking his 4th GOLD medal in the event with an SB and World Lead (WL) of 19.55s, before anchoring Jamaica to its fourth consecutive title in the 4x100m with a WL of 37.36s. Bolt certainly had the last laugh in 2015!
