
Jamaicans were celebrating in the streets on Saturday and they had reason to. Their star sprinter, Usain Bolt had done what no other Jamaican had done before. He got the Olympic gold medal in the men's 100-metres final in Beijing, China in world record time.
Back in May Bolt shocked the world of track and field when he clocked the second fastest time in history in the 100m event at the Jamaica International Invitational. His time of 9.76 was just 0.02 seconds slower than the fastest time of 9.74, which his compatriot Asafa Powell posted in Italy last year.
But on Saturday, August 16, 2008, Bolt crossed the finish line in a new Olympic and world record of 6.69 seconds.
The fact that the 200m is really Bolt's pet event and he holds records in that area, including the Jamaica national record, made his feat even more amazing.
Standing at six foot five inches and weighing 190 pounds, Bolt, 21, won one gold for the 200-metres and two silver medals for the relays at the 2002 World Junior Championships, Jamaica, when he was 15. He won another gold medal at the World Youth Championships, running the 200-metres in 20.40 seconds.