TODAY IN HISTORY: Bolt Breaks Olympic Record In Seconds – Buhari Signs Not Too Young To Run Bill
Bolt Breaks Olympic Record in Seconds
On May 31, 2008, at the IAAF World Athletics Tour in New York, Usain Bolt of Jamaica shattered the men’s 100m record, clocking in at 9.72 seconds.
Bolt had expressed his desire to focus on the 100m rather than the 400m. At the Reebok Grand Prix, Bolt justified his preference by blazing down the Icahn Stadium track, setting a new world record that surpassed Asafa Powell’s 9.74 seconds from the previous year in Rieti.
The race, held on Randall’s Island, where Leroy Burrell set a world record in 1991, featured a showdown between Bolt and American Tyson Gay, the reigning 100m World champion, who finished second in 9.85 seconds.
Despite a false start by Mike Rodgers, both Gay and Bolt agreed it improved their starts on the second try. Bolt attributed his victory to a strong start, stating, “I knew if I could beat Tyson out of the blocks, I could win the race.”
Reflecting on his performance, Bolt described it as “99% perfect” but declined to speak on the time a perfect race would take. Speaking further amid laughter, Bolt added, “I don’t need to break the record again. It’s mine now.”
Buhari Signs Not Too Young To Run Bill
Also, on this day in 2018, former President Muhammadu Buhari fulfilled his pledge by signing the Not-Too-Young-To-Run Bill into law.
The law marked a significant shift by lowering the age qualifications for key political offices by five years: President from 40 to 35; Governor from 35 to 30; senator from 35 to 30; House of Representatives membership from 30 to 25, and State House of Assembly membership from 30 to 25.
The bill, which had been passed by the National Assembly the previous year, made amendments to sections 65, 106, 131, and 177 of the Constitution. These amendments were meant to encourage the participation of young people in politics rather than shutting them out.
Since then, some people have benefitted from the law which enabled them to contest for key political offices five years earlier than they would have done. However, since young people do not have much money, it has been hard for them to adequately challenge the moneybags and godfathers who call the shots in Nigerian politics despite the provisions of the Not Too Young To Run law.
