 The silver medals from the 2007 Osaka World Championships boosted Bolt 's desire to run , and he took a more serious , more mature stance towards his career . Bolt continued to develop in the 100 m , and he entered to run in the event at the Jamaica Invitational in Kingston . On 3 May 2008 , Bolt ran a time of 9 @.@ 76 s , with a 1 @.@ 8 m / s tail wind , improving his personal best from 10 @.@ 03 s . This was the second @-@ fastest legal performance in the history of the event , second only to compatriot Asafa Powell 's 9 @.@ 74 s record set the previous year in Rieti , Italy . Rival Tyson Gay lauded the performance , praising Bolt 's form and technique especially . Michael Johnson , who was observing the race , said that he was shocked at how quickly he had improved over the 100 m distance . The Jamaican surprised even himself with the time , but coach Glen Mills remained confident that there was more to come . 
