On the eve of the start of track and field at the Paris Olympic Games, there are several individuals online taking umbrage with the media referring to Noah Lyles, the reigning World 100m champion, as the World’s Fastest Human (WFH)! Stating that Usain Bolt is still the “fastest man alive”. Claiming to be “defending the integrity of the sport” by making this claim. Apparently forgetting that words actually have meaning.. Because even using their own statement, they are incorrect.

Let me begin by saying that most, but not all, making this comment are either Jamaican, and looking to defend Bolt’s “legacy”. Or non Americans that a) consider Americans to be arrogant, b) consider Noah to be off putting, or c) all of the above. And I get it. The athletic sprint “war” (rivalry) between the US and Jamaica has been quite heated since the early 2000’s – especially when it comes to fans. Another conversation for another day. Today I’m going to talk about the WFH.

The title actually arose from the Olympics, as it was the first event that put athletes across the globe into the same competition. Creating global “champions” (another topic I plan to discuss), and in the case of the 100m, creating the WFH. Fair enough, though that “lasted” for four years until the next global contest. In 1983 that changed when the IAAF initiated the World Championships, giving athletes another global “championship”. Beginning as an every four event itself, then moving to every other year in 1993. So since then there has been a global 100m championship three of every four years. The winner of which has been declared the “Worlds Fastest Human”. Ironically there was some debate following the 1996 Olympics when a sportscaster proclaimed that perhaps Michael Johnson (American winner of the 200m) was faster than Donovan Bailey (Canadian winner of the 100m). Leading to a million dollar 150m race at the Toronto Skydome in 1997!

So much for history, let’s talk about today’s dispute. Let’s begin with the 1996 decision to “settle the question” by having Johnson and Bailey race! This is how “who’s fastest” arguments are settled. Or frankly ANY questions of who is the best at something! It’s not a “statistical”, on paper discussion. It’s a head to head, competition, to determine the fastest, strongest, smartest, etc. Yes, in sports we keep records, to record the best(fill in the blank) that was ever done. But to determine who is currently the best (again fill in the blank), we compete. As kids we didn’t even need “times” to tell us who was the fastest kid on the block, in the neighborhood, or in town. As a matter of fact there were kids in middle school, and high school that ran track and had times. That others in the neighborhood said couldn’t beat “so and so”. And they were usually right.

Times are used for record purposes. Racing to determine who’s the current best. Frankly there have been many times (no pun intended) when record holders were never champions! Carl Lewis was NOT the world record holder during the ’80’s. Try telling him, or anyone else during that decade that Carl was not the WFH! As a matter of fact, I remember Jim Hines (WR holder at 9.95 dating back to 1968) in 1983 at the Modesto Relays.. Still the WR holder, but a good 20+ lbs past his “running weight”.. Taking dead last in a heat of the 100m. There to help promote the meet as Carl Lewis was competing to take a shot at the WR. Carl ran 9.97 that day, at the time the #2 time ever! But he was clearly the WFH at that time! He was still the WFH when Calvin Smith ran 9.93 to finally break the WR, as Calvin was never able to defeat Carl. Who was still the WFH when he won the first World Championship later that summer in Helsinki! He went on to win two more titles before setting his own WR in 1991. Yet as the WR holder, failed to make the team in ’92 and watched a new WFH take the crown in Barcelona. Still the WR holder, he made the team for Stuttgart, only to finish fourth as Linford Christie followed up his Barcelona win with another in Stuttgart. Cementing his claim as the WFH. Carl, the WFH for over a decade, had given way to a new champion, though himself possessing the fastest single time ever run!

Some sprinters never gain the title of WFH, in spite of setting the WR. It was common during the days of hand timing. As often there were several individuals holding the record simultaneously. But since automatic timing became required for record consideration in 1976, there have been record holders that did not produce in head to head matchups. As I mentioned earlier, Calvin Smith was one of them. Though Calvin did win two world titles in the 200m, winning the 100m title eluded him. Leroy Burrell set two WRs but lost at both Worlds and the Games. After Donovan Bailey won the Olympics in a WR 9.84, he lost the world title the following year to Maurice Greene. Two years later, Greene set his own WR, then proceeded to win a world title, an Olympic title, and another world title. But then an injury slowed him, and he failed to make the final in 2003. There was a new WFH. After all, if you can’t run fast, it’s difficult to be the fastest! Greene lost again in 2004, in spite of running as fast as he did to win his 1997 title. It’s not about time, it’s about racing. Which was the difficulty that presented itself to Asafa Powell. Powell ran four 100m world records during his career. Yet lost title races to Justin Gatlin, Tyson Gay, and Usain Bolt in a total of five attempts. Four WRs but never the WFH.

Which brings us to Usain. Bolt set three WRs himself, and followed them up with five global titles. But during this time, Bolt’s wins came in diminishing times. From a best of 9.58 in his 2009 WR run, to 9.81 in his 2016 win. In 2017 he ran 9.95, only good enough for bronze. As Father Time does what it does, slows us all. Still a sub 10 sprinter, but NOT the sprinter he had been eight years before! His record lasted, and has lasted, beyond his ability to replicate it. Just as Jim Hines was in Modesto in 1983. His record (lasting 15 years) had lived far beyond his ability to sprint at that level.

Which takes us to the phrase, fastest man alive. A phrase in the present tense, meaning today. Now. Today Bolt is not the fastest man alive. He wasn’t the fastest man alive in the year 2017. He IS still the WR holder, as no one has broken that mark. But unless a miracle occurs, Bolt’s days as the WFH are gone. No matter how many times individuals play the video of his Berlin race. To quote a line from a song, “even the sun goes down, heroes eventually die, and horoscopes often lie”. Bolt lost to 2017’s fastest human passing the torch to Justin Gatlin. Since then, several others have been crowned – Christian Coleman, Lamont Jacobs, Fred Kerley, Noah Lyles. In competition, on the track. This is not about Noah Lyles, or disrespect. It’s about the process. It’s about who is getting it done right now vs the best ever single performance. The title for that is World Record holder.

Usain is still the WR holder, and will be until someone runs faster. Meanwhile a new WFH is going to be determined in just about a week. As I’ve shown, many WR holders and WFHs have had to give way to others. That’s sports. No one is immune. Life moves on. If you really want to start an argument, you can discuss the Greatest of All Time in different events, because often those aren’t record holders either. But that’s a much longer conversation.