Jamaican dash legend Usain Bolt has been ranked ninth by ESPN in its lately launched High 100 Athletes of the twenty first Century.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, one other Jamaican dash icon, is ranked 77th on the listing, which incorporates just one different monitor athlete, Allyson Felix of the US, who’s ranked 63rd. The listing is topped by American swimmer Michael Phelps.
Bolt is one in all solely three non-Individuals to make the highest 10, alongside Argentina’s Lionel Messi for soccer and Swiss tennis nice Roger Federer, who’s ranked sixth. ESPN’s Alyssa Roenigk highlighted Bolt’s key accomplishments, together with his eight Olympic gold medals, world-record time within the 100m, and his distinctive achievement of successful each the 100m and 200m Olympic titles at three consecutive Video games.
Bolt’s iconic second
Reflecting on Bolt’s iconic second on the 2016 Rio Olympics, Roenigk described the 100m semi-final: “Their legs are a blur. What’s in focus is Bolt’s expressive mug as he surges forward within the 100-meter semi-final, his fourth and closing Video games. Within the picture, the now 37-year-old Jamaican is trying again, smiling, virtually taunting the three males giving chase. The race will not be over — and but it’s. The picture was a sensation on the time and has endured as some of the indelible of Bolt’s profession, which noticed him set his first world report within the 100 at 21. His 2009 world report within the 100 (9.58 seconds) nonetheless stands in the present day.”
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Fraser-Pryce’s notable achievements embrace her eight Olympic medals, three Olympic gold, and report 5 100-meter world titles. She can be the oldest sprinter to win a world title, reaching this at 35 in 2022.
Roenigk detailed Fraser-Pryce’s impression: “Someday after Usain Bolt’s win within the 100 meters on the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Fraser-Pryce turned the primary lady from the Caribbean to win Olympic gold within the occasion. 4 years later, she defended her title within the 100 (as did Bolt), additional cementing Jamaica’s fame as a sprinting powerhouse. Solely 5 ft tall and sometimes sporting rainbow locks, the ‘Pocket Rocket’ has medaled in monitor and area’s quickest race prior to now 4 Video games. In Paris, her fifth and closing Olympics, Fraser-Pryce will line up as soon as extra with the objective of reclaiming her title because the quickest lady alive.”
ESPN’s High 10:
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- Michael Phelps – Swimming
- Serena Williams – Tennis
- Lionel Messi – Soccer
- LeBron James – Basketball
- Tom Brady – American Soccer
- Roger Federer – Tennis
- Simone Biles – Gymnastics
- Tiger Woods – Golf
- Usain Bolt – Observe and Subject
- Kobe Bryant – Basketball
ESPN’s rating course of concerned a world contribution of nominations and voting, resulting in greater than 70,000 votes to find out the highest 100 athletes primarily based on their efficiency since 2000. The listing consists of 56 Individuals, with notable illustration from Spain, Canada, the Dominican Republic, France, Japan, and Jamaica.
The dominance of basketball is clear with 24 gamers making the listing, adopted by 17 baseball gamers, 15 soccer gamers, and notable entries from American soccer, tennis, golf, boxing, and monitor and area.
The inclusion of Bolt and Fraser-Pryce in ESPN’s Top 100 Athletes of the Century underscores their monumental contributions to trace and area and their lasting legacy on the earth of sports activities.
