Usain Bolt named the Infostrada Sports’ Man of the Year 2008

Usain Bolt is Infostrada Sports’ Man of the Year for 2008, beating Michael Phelps into second place. In August 2008, Bolt won three gold medals at the Olympic Games, breaking the world record for each event in the process.

Bolt is the first man from the sport of Athletics to be named Infostrada Sports’ Man of the Year.
Bolt was the first male athlete since Carl Lewis to win at least three Olympic gold medals at a single Games.
He is also one of only nine men to win the 100 metres and 200 metres at the same Olympics and one of only four to add the 4x100m Relay gold to the sprint double.

Infostrada Sports’ Man of the Year 2000 - 2008
Year Man of the Year

2008 Usain Bolt (Athletics)
2007 Michael Phelps (Swimming)
2006 Roger Federer (Tennis)
2005 Tom Boonen (Cycling)
2004 Roger Federer (Tennis)
2003 Michael Schumacher (Formula One)
2002 Mario Cipollini (Cycling)
2001 Goran Ivanisevic (Tennis)
2000 Tiger Woods (Golf)

Male athletes winning at least three Gold medals in a single Olympics
Year Name NOC Gold Silver Bronze

2008 Usain BOLT JAM 3 0 0
1984 Carl LEWIS USA 4 0 0
1956 Bobby MORROW USA 3 0 0
1952 Emil ZATOPEK TCH 3 0 0
1936 Jesse OWENS USA 4 0 0
1924 Paavo NURMI FIN 5 0 0
1924 Ville RITOLA FIN 4 2 0
1912 Hannes KOLEHMAINEN FIN 3 1 0
1908 Melvin SHEPPARD USA 3 0 0
1904 James LIGHTBODY USA 3 1 0
1904 Harry HILLMAN USA 3 0 0
1904 Ray EWRY USA 3 0 0
1904 Archie HAHN USA 3 0 0
1900 Alvin KRAENZLEIN USA 4 0 0
1900 Ray EWRY USA 3 0 0

Winning gold in Olympic 100m and 200m
Year Name NOC

2008 Usain BOLT JAM
1984 Carl LEWIS USA
1972 Valeriy BORZOV URS
1956 Bobby MORROW USA
1936 Jesse OWENS USA
1932 Eddie TOLAN USA
1928 Percy WILLIAMS CAN
1912 Ralph CRAIG USA
1904 Archie HAHN USA
Bold indicates that they also won gold in the Men’s 4x100m

The last five world record improvements – Men’s 100m
Result Name Nation Date Location #

9.69 Usain BOLT JAM 16 Aug 2008 Beijing, CHN 19
9.72 Usain BOLT JAM 31 May 2008 New York, USA 18
9.74 Asafa POWELL JAM 09 Sep 2007 Rieti, ITA 17
9.77 Asafa POWELL JAM 14 Jun 2005 Athens, GRE 16
9.79 Maurice GREENE USA 16 Jun 1999 Athens, GRE 15

The last five world record improvements – Men’s 200m
Result Name NOC Date Location
19.30 Usain BOLT JAM 20 Aug 08 Beijing, CHN
19.32 Michael JOHNSON USA 01 Aug 96 Atlanta, GA, USA
19.66 Michael JOHNSON USA 23 Jun 96 Atlanta, GA, USA
19.72 Pietro MENNEA ITA 12 Sep 79 Mexico City, MEX
19.83 Tommie SMITH USA 16 Oct 68 Mexico City, MEX

The last five world record improvements – Men's 4x100m Relay
Result NOC Date Location
37.10 JAM 22 Aug 2008 Beijing, CHN
37.40 USA 08 Aug 1992 Barcelona, ESP
37.50 USA 01 Sep 1991 Tokyo, JPN
37.67 USA 07 Aug 1991 Zurich, SUI
37.79 FRA 01 Sep 1990 Split, YUG

Oscar Pistorius, a Nike star, now is Pirelli face like Carl Lewis

Usain Bolt: 200 metres world record holder: 19.30; he takes Michael Johnson feat; 200 metres ranking

This Jamaican guy is incredible. Olympic winner in 100 and 200 metres, two world records...

Michael Bolt left behind Michael Johnson history. Incredible.

Rank Result Wind Athlete Nation Date Place

1. 19.30 −0.9 Usain Bolt Jamaica 20 August 2008 Beijing
2. 19.32 +0.4 Michael Johnson United States 1 August 1996 Atlanta
3. 19.62 −0.3 Tyson Gay United States 24 June 2007 Indianapolis
4. 19.63 +0.4 Xavier Carter United States 11 July 2006 Lausanne
5. 19.65 ±0.0 Wallace Spearmon United States 28 September 2006 Daegu
6. 19.68 +0.4 Frank Fredericks Namibia 1 August 1996 Atlanta
7. 19.69 +0.9 Walter Dix United States 26 May 2007 Gainesville
8. 19.72 +1.8 Pietro Mennea Italy 12 September 1979 Mexico City
9. 19.73 −0.2 Michael Marsh United States 5 August 1992 Barcelona
10. 19.75 +1.5 Carl Lewis United States 19 June 1983 Indianapolis
+1.7 Joe DeLoach United States 28 September 1988 Seoul

Novak Djokovic - Leryn Franco: Olympic romance

Novak Djokovic arrives at Beijing 2008 alone. But it seems that he found good friendship in the Olympic Village: Leryn Franco.

Franco is a 26 year-old javelin athlete and is the Paraguayan record woman (55, 34 mts). But also is a top model: in 2006, she was awarded as First Princess in the Miss Bikini Universe.

Leryn is competing in her second Olympics, thanks to a burgeoning modeling career that gave her the financial support to continue competing in javelin competitions. Since finishing 42nd in Athens, Franco has balanced her athletic career with both the modeling and pageant work. Well done, Nole!

Olympic athletics: track and field history

he Olympic Athletics competition begins in Beijing on Friday, 15 August and the United States are again expected to be the most successful nation as they have been in the last six Olympic Games and all but three in Olympic history.

In 2004, their eight gold medals ranked as the lowest number of golds for a leading nation until Marion Jones (USA) had three golds and two bronze medals taken away from her, causing their 2000 tally to drop to seven golds and 15 total medals.

Just before Beijing 2008 began, the American Men’s 4x400m relay team were also stripped of their gold medal at Sydney 2000 taking the US total to six golds and 14 medals in total.

This is still enough to name the US as the most successful nation in Athletics at Sydney 2000, according to Infostrada.

Most successful nation in Athletics for each Olympic Games

Year Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
2004 United States 8 12 5 25
2000 United States 6 4 4 14
1996 United States 13 5 5 23
1992 United States 12 8 10 30
1988 United States 13 7 6 26
1984 United States 16 15 9 40
1980 Soviet Union 15 14 12 41
1976 East Germany 11 7 9 27
1972 Soviet Union 9 7 1 17
1968 United States 15 6 7 28
1964 United States 14 7 3 24
1960 United States 12 8 6 26
1956 United States 16 10 5 31
1952 United States 15 10 6 31
1948 United States 12 5 10 27
1936 United States 14 7 4 25
1932 United States 16 13 6 35
1928 United States 9 8 8 25
1924 United States 12 10 10 32
1920 United States 9 12 8 29
1912 United States 16 14 11 41
1908 United States 16 10 8 34
1904 United States 23 23 22 68
1900 United States 16 13 10 39
1896 United States 9 6 1 16

Yelena Isinbayeva, the recordwoman

Yelena Isinbayeva broke the pole vault world record for the second time this month, vaulting 5.04m in Monaco. She is the first athlete this year to break a world record twice. Her last world record before 2008 dates to 2005.

It was the seventh time that an athletics world record has been broken in 2008. Isinbayeva improved the world record for the 15th time. Sergey Bubka improved the men’s pole vault world record 17 times in his career.

Athletics World record improvements in 2008

Date / Event / Name / Performance

29 Jul 2008 Women’s Pole Vault Yelena Isinbayeva Russia 5.04 Monaco, MON
11 Jul 2008 Women’s Pole Vault Yelena Isinbayeva Russia 5.03 Rome, ITA
12 Jun 2008 Men’s 110m Hurdles Dayron Robles Cuba 12.87 Ostrava, CZE
08 Jun 2008 Men’s 20km Walk Sergey Morozov Russia 1:16:43 Saransk, RUS
06 Jun 2008 Women’s 5000m Tirunesh Dibaba Ethiopia 14:11.15 Oslo, NOR
01 Jun 2008 Men’s 100m Usain Bolt Jamaica 9.72 New York, NY, USA
11 May 2008 Men’s 50km Walk Denis Nizhegorodov Russia 3:34:14 Cheboksary, RUS