THE GREATEST MALE SPRINTER OF ALL TIME

Jessie Cleveland Owens, the ‘Buckeye Bullet’ was probably the greatest sprinter of all time. Not because he holds any records, but because of what he did and what it meant to his country when he did it. I consider him the Jackie Robinson of international sports. During a time of international tensions and the growing threat of war, Jessie Owens quietly and with dignity proves that racism was a disease, not a truth to behold.

It was the pre-war years and Hitler was hosting his showcase Olympics in 1936, to prove to the world the ‘superiority’ of the Aryan race. Only 5’10” and 165 pounds, Jesse Owens personally set Nazi Germany on its heels. Winning 4 gold medals in a single Olympiad, Owens proved that it is not race or country, but the individual that matters. Below are the best in the world today.

WORLD’S FASTEST SPRINTERS

1. Usain Bolt (Jamaica) – Fastest Time: 9.58 seconds
The 100m Olympic record (9.69) was set by Bolt at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing.

2. Tyson Gay (United States) – Fastest Time: 9.69 seconds
During the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials, Gay also ran a wind-aided 9.68 (once the fastest 100 m under any condition).

3. Asafa Powell (Jamaica) – Fastest Time: 9.72 seconds
Asafa Powell ran his fastest time, once the world record, during heats at the 2007 IAAF Rieti Grand Prix.

4. Maurice Greene (United States) – Fastest Time: 9.79 seconds
By the widest margin since electronic timing, Greene ran this since passed world record time in 1999.

5. Donovan Bailey (Canada) – Fastest Time: 9.84 seconds
Bailey returned Canada to glory with his 9.84 record-breaking run at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.

6. Bruny Surin (Canada) – Fastest Time: 9.84 seconds
Surin’s second place finish of 9.84 at the 1999 World Championships was the fastest silver medal time ever.

7. Leroy Burrell (United States) – Fastest Time: 9.85 seconds
Burrell had twice set the world record in the 100 metres with a 9.90 in 1991 and a 9.85 in 1994.

8. Justin Gatlin (United States) – Fastest Time: 9.85 seconds
Gatlin’s fastest time was set at the 2004 Olympics with a gold metal winning 9.85 second run.

9. Olusoji Fasuba (Nigeria) – Fastest Time: 9.85 seconds
Fasuba holds the African 100 metre sprinting mark with a 9.85 at the Doha Grand Prix in 2006.

10. Carl Lewis (United States) – Fastest Time: 9.86 seconds
Track and Field star Carl Lewis has won nine Olympic gold medals and eight World Championship gold medals.

  That's all I wrote, folks!