Larry Brown Sports

Usain Bolt is believed to be the fastest man on the planet, and he proved his athleticism is not limited to track and field. The Jamaican sprinter participated in the Celebrity All-Star Game Friday in Houston and threw down the best dunk by a non-NBA player. Sure, he may have taken a few steps and walked with the ball, but we can overlook that given the way he finished with emphasis.

Bolt later said he only took two steps, which is true if you’re not counting the way he shuffled his feet before the two steps.

As nice as the dunk was, Bolt did shame himself by losing to comedian/actor Kevin Hart in a race up and down the court:

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Throughout the 16 days of the London Olympics, roughly 150 million tweets were sent. That is an astronomical number for slightly over a two-week stretch. In fact, so many users were on Twitter at the start of the Olympics that the network even crashed for a short period. No single person was the topic of discussion in more of those 150 million tweets than Usain Bolt.

According to Reuters, Bolt was mentioned in 80,000 tweets per minute during his 200-meter race and 74,000 during his 100-meter race. Andy Murray finished second with 57,000 tweets per minute as he was going for gold against Roger Federer in men’s singles tennis.

Bolt was among nine Olympians who were mentioned more than 1 million times during the Games. Some of the other notable athletes who hit the million mark were Michael Phelps, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Tom Daley and Gabby Douglas. Bolt’s mentions were probably helped by people like this NFL running back and this college quarterback, who claimed they could beat him in a race.

With Twitter at the peak of its popularity, it’s safe to say the social networking tool played a massive role in the buzz surrounding the 2012 Olympics. Between the London Eye serving as a massive mood ring based on tweets and stars like Michael Phelps posting pictures to complain about their accessories, it’s tough to remember what Olympic life was like before Twitter came along.

Photo Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Since he is widely considered to be the fastest man on earth, it’s easy to understand why Usain Bolt is such an appealing figure for endorsement deals. Instead of using the Road Runner cartoon to advertise how fast your company is capable of doing something, why not use a six-time Olympic gold medalist who can run 100 meters in under 10 seconds? A startup company based in the United Kingdom is trying to do just that.

Shutl Ltd. is an online corporation that specializes in speedy delivery for online orders. They allow shoppers to choose to receive their orders either within 90 minutes of placing them or by selecting a one-hour delivery window on the day of their choice. As Black Sports Online pointed out, Shutl recently wrote Bolt the following letter.

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Another day, another football player who thinks he is faster than Usain Bolt. With the Olympics having just ended, Bolt’s speed has been a popular topic of discussion among athletes in non-Olympic sports. Everyone wants to be the fastest guy on the team. But being faster than the fastest man in the world would give you serious bragging rights. Even if it’s only in the 40-yard dash, Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson thinks he could take Bolt down.

“I’ve watched him run, and I’m pretty sure I can beat him in a 40-yard dash,” Robinson said Sunday according to Fox Sports Detroit. “I’d get a better start, and I could take him. At 60 yards, I’d be in trouble, and at 100 meters, he’d be gone, but I could get him in a 40.”

That sounds quite similar to what a certain NFL running back recently had to say about being faster than Usain. Michigan backup quarterback Devin Gardner is the one who raised the subject, calling Robinson the “fastest man in the world.” We all know what Denard is capable of with his legs. He didn’t cut Little Debbie snacks out of his diet for no reason. He has a chance to finish the upcoming season as the career leader in rushing yards for an NCAA quarterback.

With all these predictions floating around, Bolt may have no choice but to run the 40-yard dash at some point over the next four years. Everyone seems to agree that he could beat them in the 100-meters, but football players feel confident about the 40 since it is what they train for. The Jamaican gold medalist could put all the speculation to rest by dusting either Johnson or Robinson in the event.

Usain Bolt had another outstanding Summer Games. He won gold in the 100, 200, and 4×100 relay, and the man just wanted a souvenir to take home to Jamaica. Unfortunately, some Olympics officials were standing in his way.

Bolt had just run the final leg of the 4×100 relay at a blistering pace to help Jamaica set a world record in the event on Saturday. But instead of handing the “stick” to an official, he kept it:

Two officials reportedly caught up with Bolt and demanded he hand over the baton, threatening to disqualify Jamaica if he didn’t. Bolt reportedly had an animated discussion with the officials and handed over the baton, leading to boos from the crowd.

The officials must have heard the boos because they relented and decided to let Bolt keep the souvenir.

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Usain Bolt isn’t just celebrating and boasting after becoming the first man to win the 200-meter race in two Olympics. He’s also lashing out.

The Jamaican sprinter ripped former American track and field star Carl Lewis, who won 10 Olympic medals including nine golds spread over four Olympiads. Lewis has expressed several doubts about Bolt and the other Jamaican runners over the past few years, and Bolt felt the need to address matters.

“I’m going to say something controversial. Carl Lewis – I have no respect for him,” Bolt said in his post-race press conference, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Charles Robinson. “The things he says about the track athletes are very downgrading. I think he’s just looking for attention because nobody really talks about him. I’ve lost all respect for him. All respect.”

Bolt explained why he has a negative opinion of Lewis.

“All the drug stuff,”Bolt said. “For an athlete to be out of the sport and to be saying that is really upsetting.”

The “drug stuff” refers to comments Lewis made to Sports Illustrated in 2008. Here’s what he said (via the Telegraph):

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Usain Bolt proved that he is the fastest track and field sprinter in the world by winning the 100 and 200-meter races at the London Olympics, but the Jamaican runner took matters a step further.

The often boastful sprinter declared after dusting the field in the 200 on Thursday that he is the “greatest athlete to live.”

“It’s what I came here to do. I’m now a legend. I’m also the greatest athlete to live,” Bolt said, per SI’s Richard Deitsch.

I’m not sure if Bolt meant that he is the greatest athlete to ever live, or that he is currently the greatest athlete alive, but does it matter? Bolt has proved for the second straight Summer Games that he is the fastest competitive runner in the world. He became the first man to win the 200-meter sprint in two Olympics, and the first man to win both the 100 and 200 in different Olympiads.

Bolt’s comments should not come as a surprise. He stated in June that he already had his “living legend” speech planned for when he won the 200 in London, and he’s displayed a strong touch of Muhammad Ali’s boastfulness for quite some time.

After winning the 200, Bolt got down and did some pushups, and then kissed the track. He also put his finger to his mouth before crossing the finish line in order to hush the crowd (pictured above). He’s all about being a showman. But is he the greatest athlete in the world right now?

If you break things down based on relative dominance by sport, other athletes such as Lionel Messi, Michael Phelps, and LeBron James would be in the debate. Maybe if Bolt tried his hardest in all his races we would truly see how much better he is than his competitors, but he frequently takes it easy during races (including the 100 and 200 at the Olympics). Of course, given his concern with trying to be a showman, maybe this is all part of creating the intrigue.

Photo Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports