Usain Bolt dreams of a familiar successor to break his 100m world record

Sprinting legend Usain Bolt has expressed his belief that his long-standing 100m world record is safe from the current generation of athletes, revealing who he would prefer to eventually surpass his historic mark.

The eight-time Olympic gold medalist set the seemingly untouchable 100m record of 9.58s at the 2009 World Athletics Championships in Berlin, a time that has remained unchallenged for nearly two decades.

While formidable rivals like Tyson Gay and Yohan Blake have come close with 9.69s, Bolt remains confident that his record will stand for the foreseeable future.

In an exclusive interview with talkSPORT, the Jamaican icon discussed the possibility of his record being broken and shared his ideal scenario for a successor.

"I don’t think so, the record is going to take a while to go," Bolt stated. "Hopefully, one of my boys will grow and become a speedster and go and break the record; that’d be perfect. But right now, I don’t see anyone getting to the world record."

His twin sons, Saint Leo and Thunder, were born in June 2021. Though his dream of a familial successor is a long-term one, he has previously voiced his hope that his children might follow in his footsteps.

"I would love any one of them to do track and field, but I won't force anybody if they want to go in a different direction," he said in an interview in 2021.

The top 4 on the world's all-time list to Bolt's record are: Gay and Blake's 9.69s, Asafa Powell (9.72s), and Justin Gatlin's (9.74s). Meanwhile, the most recent athlete to get close to this league is Kishane Thompson, who ran an impressive 9.75s at the 2025 Jamaican Championships.