Great visualisation by The New York Times:
How does Bolt compare to the full Olympic field in the 100-meter dash – not just this year, but against every Olympic medalist since 1896? To answer that question, we created a massive (and imaginary) track with 88 lanes – one for every medal awarded in the 100-meter dash in the modern Olympics.
Yes, that’s Bolt there in the down right corner. What I find peculiar is that the finish times seem to improve in jumps (and now seem to have stabilized). For example: what happened in 1932 that resulted in a huge improvement? Also take a look at 1984 and you’ll see Carl Lewis – of whom its known that he has taken illegal substances – finish way before all other contestants.
More visualisations in the article itself.
Usain Bolt and the Fastest Men in the World Since 1896 – on the Same Track →