Usain Bolt Claims Could Run 9.42 with Modern Super-Spikes

Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt believes he could have run the 100 metres in an astonishing 9.42 seconds if he had access to today's advanced carbon-plated 'super-spikes,' a claim supported by research from Puma, his former sponsor. Bolt set his iconic 9.58-second world record at the 2009 World Championships, a mark that has stood for 16 years, longer than Jim Hines's 14-year reign. Speaking ahead of the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, Bolt acknowledged the performance improvements seen in athletes like Shelly-Anne Fraser-Pryce, who benefited from modern spike technology. Despite rising talents such as Kishane Thompson, who ran 9.75 seconds recently, Bolt remains confident that his world record will stand for the foreseeable future. Since Bolt's retirement in 2017, no Jamaican man has won a global sprint title, underscoring his dominance in the sport. Bolt expressed that had he continued competing and been aware of the advancements in spike technology, he likely would have achieved even faster times.