Bolt had set the record at 20.61 seconds in the final, despite a faster preliminary run of 20.58 seconds. Now, two decades on, South African Bayanda Walaza snatched gold with an impressive 20.54 seconds, and Britain's Jake Odey-Jordan completed the podium with bronze in 20.81 seconds.
Earlier in May, Usain Bolt's Under-17 400m world record was toppled by another teenage prodigy, Jamaica's Nickecoy Bramwell, at the Carifta Games in Grenada. Bramwell shattered the 22-year-old record by a slim margin, finishing in 47.26 seconds and surpassing Bolt's time by just 0.07 seconds.
Bolt has welcomed these developments, suggesting that track and field could use the "needed" fresh energy as it evolves after his retirement. He reflected on how the sport has changed since he hung up his spikes.
"After me, it kind of went down because of who I was as a person, and how big my personality was," reflected Bolt on the state of athletics post-retirement. "But I think over time it will be better. I think young athletes are coming up and I see a few personalities that are needed in sport, hopefully in the upcoming years it will change."
Up-and-coming star Gout has been turning heads with performances that have drawn parallels to Bolt, catching the eye of Athletics Australia president Jane Flemming, who tipped him to be the forthcoming Olympic whirlwind. Reacting to such high commendation, Gout remained singularly cool-headed for someone his age, describing the comparison as "pretty cool".
In contrast, Bramwell, whose career has been marred by injuries, is now being spoken of in the same breath as Bolt and revealed an insatiable appetite to pursue even more of the legend's records. He disclosed: "It's a wonderful feeling to break the record. Since last summer, I have been eyeing the record."
"So it's a great feeling I could come out here and get it. I just took my mind off it and focused on the record. I'm looking forward to better things."
Bolt, who is now 37 years old, can look back proudly at an awe-inspiring collection of eight Olympic golds and still retains his stranglehold on the world records in the 100m, 200m, and the 4x100m relay events. These days, he savors a peaceful retirement life, revels in family time, and occasionally graces celebrity charity occasions like Soccer Aid with his presence.
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