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0.11 is not a particularly ostentatious number. It doesn't possess the mystique of the 7, the practicality of the 2 or the unique properties of the 0. It hasn't had anything remotely resembling a distinguished history or a close connection with any world shattering events or phenomena. Making this flying-under-the-radar quality of the 11hundredths-of-the-sec, quite understandable. But all of a sudden, this previously unprepossessing figure, has taken the world by storm thanks to a man who has made it a habit to break, nay shatter, world records every time he peddles (literally) his wares on the track. When Usain broke his own 200m world record time to set a 19 .19 yesterday, he showed that in this Bolt's case maybe lightning does strike twice, as he repeated his demolition of his 100m time (9.58s) by the same margin - 0.11sec, hardly 5 days ago. Never before in the history of athletics has one man held the sprint doubles (100m & 200m) at the Olympics and the Worlds all at one time. And with world records to boot. Astounding? Exceptional? Incredible? One could peruse the entire thesaurus and still fail to give this Jamaican his deserved due.

When the aptly named Usain Bolt announced his arrival by claiming all three sprint world records at Beijing 2008, one knew a legend was pretty clearly in the making. What we didn't truly comprehend was the remarkable extent to which he would continue to demolish the sprint records along with the frequency with which he would do so. Michael Johnson's 19.32 had stood for over 12 years. There had been a sum total of zero sub 9.7 sec 100m. Until Bolt arrived in China. And less than a year later he's forced the men at Guinness to rewrite yet again, their reknowned compendium of achievements. To emphasize what he has done to shatter the very thinking in these sprints - Tyson Gay ran a 9.71 at Berlin, which is faster than anything run before in non-Bolt history. He trailed home in a 2nd place that was, morale-shatteringly, without even a sniff at victory. In Beijing, it was of course the well documented celebrations before the finish line that ensured that the time was a mere 9.69 sec. In the 200m at Berlin, his victory margin of 0.62 sec is the largest in World Championship history. Such dominance, such overwhelming margins have rarely been witnessed over these, the shortest of distances.

Through all this, what also shines through is the exuberant Jamiacan's genuine showmanship. He enjoys his running, gels beautifully with the crowd and his trademark archer pose is easily among the most recognizable in athletics today. Vitally in a sport that has been ravaged in the past by doping claims - Marion Jones & Ben Johnson are notable, albeit ugly reminders to this problem in the athletic domain - Usain Bolt has been squeaky clean. It's good for the sport. And it's good for him as he closes in on his dream of becoming the world's greatest sprinter - "I keep telling you guys, my aim is to become a legend".

In this quest, comparisons are inevitable. Already the ghost of Jesse Owens 1936 has been brought up, as has been Carl Lewis, winner of 9 Olympic golds, and widely regarded as one of the greatest track & field athletes - Both men of considerable pedigree, dominant in their era and legends of all time. At Atlanta in 1996, a Texan sped away to claim the hitherto unaccomplished 200m & 400m double. With his signature upright, piston-pounding legs, running style, Michael Johnson also, much like Usain Bolt today, had turned conventional athletic wisdom on its head. Usain Bolt in his junior running days, set national records at the 400m distance. Indeed, at the earliest stages of his professional career, he was touted as a potential Michael Johnson successor having set times that even Michael hadn't at the comparable point in their respective careers. If at any point in his already legendary career, Bolt decides to hoof it competitively over the quarter mile, we could truly see the culmination point of sprinting excellence through the zenith of its most extraordinary exponent. But that's for much later. For now, I'm expecting another number - 36.99, at the 4*100m relay at Berlin in a few days time.

File Photograph Copyright: Richard Giles