Dimensions
195 x 236 x 27mm
16th August 2008 ... Beijing, China ... the Bird's Nest stadium ... 91,000 spectators and an unimaginably huge global television audience ... the final of the men's 100 metres at the Games of the XXIX Olympiad.
The crack of the starter's pistol triggers thousands of camera flash bulbs ... and precisely 9.69 seconds later a young Jamaican streaks across the finishing line to claim the gold medal and his destiny.
Usain Bolt has been decelerating for 30 metres and yet still secures the world record and wins the race by an astonishing distance ... and one of his laces was untied.
Four days later Bolt claims the 200 metres gold, setting a new world record of 19.30 into the bargain, the night before his 22nd birthday. Then on 22nd August he leads the Jamaican team to yet more glory in the 4 x 100 metres relay final, in yet another world record time.
Since those heady days of the Beijing Olympics in August 2008, Usain Bolt has lowered both the 100 metres and 200 metres world records once again - to a barely believable 9.58 and 19.19 seconds respectively - as the World Championships in Berlin brought two more gold medals and yet more superlatives.
At a stroke the Jamaican has become the greatest sports star in the world.
9.58 is Usain Bolt's story so far, in his own words, beautifully illustrated with dozens of specially commissioned photographs.
