Usain Bolt will compete in New York City for the first time since 2008 when he returns to the adidas Grand Prix on June 13, organizers have announced.
It will be a homecoming of sorts for Bolt, who set his first world record in the 100m in 9.72secs at Icahn Stadium on May 31, 2008. His has since lowered that world record 9.58, while his 200m mark stands at 19.19. Bolt has competed in the United States only once since that night, when he anchored a Jamaican 4x100m team at the Penn Relays in 2010.
Since that electric night at Icahn Stadium seven years ago, the 28-year-old Jamaican has won six Olympic gold medals and eight World Championships titles, broken seven more world records, and has become one of the most famous people in sports.
“No one could ever forget their first world record, and I will never forget the crowd in New York that night,” Bolt said. “They had to wait for an hour during a thunderstorm delay before our race, and I don’t think a single person left the stadium. They deserved a great performance, and I’m glad I was able to give it to them. I’m looking forward to running in New York again.”
Already the first man to win six Olympic gold medals in sprinting (at 100m, 200m, and the 4x100m relay in 2008 and 2012), Bolt hopes to add to that legacy at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. He recently announced his plans to retire after the 2017 IAAF World Championships in London.
One of the premier track-and-field events in the world, the adidas Grand Prix has hosted two world records and 17 national records in its first 10 years, and its fans have witnessed more than a dozen performances that were the fastest ever recorded on U.S. soil. Bolt’s 2008 performance qualifies in all three categories. –adidas Grand Prix