The men’s 100m sprint has always been the crown jewel of track and field, a pure explosive battle where fractions of a second shape history.
With the sport evolving and sprint times steadily dropping, the question lingers: Will anyone ever dethrone Usain Bolt? For 16 years, the Jamaican legend’s 9.58-second world record has remained untouched. However, new records are rising with names like Kishane Thompson doing wonders this 2025.
Chase Athletics US looks at the top 10 list;
1. Usain Bolt
Bolt didn’t just win the 2009 World Championships in Berlin. He shocked the planet. Blazing through the final in 9.58 seconds, he set a record that has stood unchallenged for over a decade. Bolt hung his spikes in 2017 but his name is still mentioned in huge stadiums, with questions still lingering on whether his 100m world record will be shattered
2. Tyson Gay
A month after finishing behind Bolt in Berlin, Tyson Gay exploded in Shanghai. Running solo into a slight headwind, he clocked 9.69, equaling Bolt’s Beijing time from 2008. That same season, he also clocked 19.58 over 200m, making 2009 the finest year of his career.
3. Yohan Blake
In the wake of the 2012 London Olympics, Yohan Blake wasn’t done. Days after his silver-medal performances behind Bolt, Blake lit up the track in Lausanne, storming to a wind-legal 9.69. He became just the second man to match Tyson Gay’s mark, stamping his name among sprinting’s elite.
4. Asafa Powell
His star-studded career ended in 2022, as he left behind a legacy, having run the 100m under 10 seconds in a record 97 times. The Jamaican became the fourth-fastest 100m runner following his 9.72 seconds clocked at the 2008 Diamond League Meeting in Lausanne.
5. Justin Gatlin
Justin Gatlin is one of the track stars who threatened the dominance of Usain Bolt on the global stage and recorded some of the fastest times in his athletics career.
The American sprint king started his 2015 season on a high, propelling the men’s 4x100m relay team to victory at the World Athletics Relays in Nassau, Bahamas. It was the first defeat for Usain Bolt and Jamaica team in the 4 × 100 meters relay since 2007.
He was not done as he cemented his place as one of the greatest sprinters in the world as he improved his personal best to 9.74 seconds at the Qatar Athletic Super Grand Prix.
6. Kishane Thompson
At the Jamaican Olympic Trials in Kingston on June 28, 2025 , the world witnessed a sprinting revelation. In 100m title, 23-year-old Kishane Thompson blazed to a 9.75 setting his personal best. With his blistering start and fluid stride, Thompson made one thing clear: the next Jamaican sprint era has arrived. He has already secured a spot in Word championships in Tokyo in September.
7. Christian Coleman
At the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Christian Coleman delivered a start so electric that the rest of the field never caught him. He powered through the final to claim gold in 9.76, holding off Gatlin and De Grasse and proving he was more than just the fastest starter in the sport.
8. Trayvon Bromell
In front of a thunderous crowd at Moi International Sports Centre during the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi, Trayvon Bromell edged out hometown hero Omanyala to win in 9.76. The high altitude helped, but Bromell’s start and drive phase were near-perfect . A avintage performance from a man who had battled back from career-threatening injuries.
9. Fred Kerley
The former world champion always knows when to show up when it matters. The Olympic bronze medallist ranks as the ninth-fastest man in the world with his time of 9.76 seconds.
The American, competing at the 2022 USATF Championships, Kerley won the 100m in 9.77 seconds and placed third in the 200m in 19.83 seconds. In the semifinal, Kerley was in a class of his own as he clocked 9.76 seconds, a personal best.
10. Ferdinand Omanyala
Africa’s fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala , made an African record time of 9.77 seconds that he ran at the 2021 Kip Keino Classic. The Commonwealth Games champion has made an impact on Kenyan sprinting and he keeps on motivating youngsters in the country and the whole of Africa to take up the challenge.
Omanyala set the African record weeks after his debut at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games where he exited the stage in the semifinal.