 Bolt 's achievements in sprinting have earned him the media nickname " Lightning Bolt " , and awards including the IAAF World Athlete of the Year , Track & Field Athlete of the Year , and Laureus World Sportsman of the Year ( three times ) . He is the highest paid athlete ever in track and field . He has been called the world 's most marketable athlete . By winning three gold medals at the 2015 World Championships , Bolt became the first athlete in the 32 @-@ year history of the IAAF athletics world championships to complete a " triple triple " making him the most successful athlete at the IAAF championships . 
