Bolt followed that feat by winning the 200 meters in 19.30 seconds, becoming the first man since Carl Lewis in 1984 to sweep the 100 and 200 gold medals at an Olympics.

There have been 19 men claiming the title “world’s fastest” in Olympic competitions for the last 96 years. The New York Times has that list, and lots of other world records for Olympic sporting events as well.

Those men are:

9.69 seconds, Usain Bolt, August 2008

9.72, Usain Bolt, May 2008

9.74, Asafa Powell of Jamaica, September, 2007

9.77, Asafe Powell, June 2005

9.79, Maurice Green of the U.S., June 1999

9.84, Donovan Bailey of Canada, July 1996

9.85, Leroy Burrell of the U.S., July 1994

9.86, Carl Lewis of the U.S., August 1991

9.9, Leroy Burrell, June 1991

9.92, Carl Lewis, September 1988

9.93, Calvin Smith of the U.S., July 1883

9.95, Jim Hines of the U.S., October, 1968

9.9, Jim Hines, June 1968

10.0, Armin Hary of Germany, June 1960

10.10, Willie Williams of the U.S., August 1956

10.20, Jesse Owens of the U.S., June 1936

10.30, Percy Williams of Canada, August 1930

10.40, Charles Paddock of the U.S., April 1921

Records are made to be broken, as Jamaica’s Usain Bolt proved once again in sweeping the 100 and 200 meters races in Beijing, setting Olympic and world records in both events and becoming the first man since Carl Lewis in 1984 to win both in a single Olympics.

Here are the current Olympic records in major track events through Aug. 20, 2008:

100 meters: Usain Bolt, Jamaica (9.69 in 2008)

200 meters: Usain Bolt, Jamaica (19.30 in 2008)

400 meters: Michael Johnson, USA (43.49 in 1996)

800 meters: Vebjorn Rodal, Norway (1:42.58 in 1996)

1,500 meters: Noah Ngeny, Kenya (3:32.07 in 2000)

5,000 meters: Kenenisa Bekele, Ethiopia (12:57.82 in 2008)

10,000 meters: Kenenisa Bekele, Ethiopia (27:01.17 in 2008)

Marathon: Carlos Lopes, Portugal (2:09.21 in 1984)

110 meter hurdles: Xiang Liu, China (12.91 in 2004)

400 meter hurdles: Kevin Young, USA (46.78 in 1992)

3,000 meter Steeplechase: Julius Kariuki, Kenya (8:05.51 in 1988)

4×100 meter relay: Jamaica, Asafa Powell, Nesta Carter, Usain Bolt, Michael Frater (37.10 in 2008)

4×400 meter relay: USA, LaShawn Merritt, David Neville, Angelo Taylor, Jeremy Wariner (2:55.39 in 2008)

Source: Olympic.org

Sources: Athletes’ official web sites

Nicole Barnhart (Gilbertsville, Pa.) – age 26, goal keeper

Shannon Boxx (Redondo Beach, Calif.) – age 31, midfield

Rachel Buehler (Del Mar, Calif.) – age 22, defense

Lori Chalupny (St. Louis, Mo.) – age 24, defense

Stephanie Cox (Elk Grove, Calif.) – age 28, defense

Tobin Heath (Basking Ridge, N.J.) – age 26, midfield

Angela Hucles (Virginia Beach, Va.) – age 30, midfield

Natasha Kai (Kahuku, Hawaii) – age 25, forward

Carli Lloyd (Delran, N.J.) – age 26, midfield

Kate Markgraf (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) – age 31, defense

Heather Mitts (Cincinnati, Ohio) – age 30, defense

Heather O’Reilly (East Brunswick, N.J.) – age 23, midfield

Christie Rampone (Point Pleasant, N.J.) – age 33, defense

Amy Rodriguez (Lake Forest, Calif.) – age 21, forward

Hope Solo (Richland, Wash.) – age 27, goal keeper

Lindsay Tarpley (Kalamazoo, Mich.) – age 25, midfield

Aly Wagner (San Jose, Calif.) – age 28, midfield

Lauren Cheney (Indianapolis) – age 20, forward 

For more information on the U.S. Womens Olympic Soccer Team, visit their website, or the U.S. Soccer website. If you want to see all U.S. Olympic qualifiers in every sport for the Beijing games, start your search on this official U.S. Olympics Page. If you want to know more about football (as it’s called elsewhere in the world) in the Olympics, you can find it on the Beijing Olympic website.

The more patient fan, however, can benefit by letting the Games come to him. As the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing drew near, hoteliers in China were in a bit of a panic, wondering when the big crowds were going to scoop up all those pricey accomodations.

For those still in the market, agoda.com had some last-minute suggestions for the best combination of quality and price. Even if you aren’t going for the Olympics, here are a few places to consider the next time you’re in town:

Radegast Hotel CDB Beijing

Nikko New Century Hotel

Furamaxpress Hotel Yansha Beijing

Howard Johnson Paragon Hotel

Beijing Zaoyuanju Hotel

Days Inn Forbidden City Hotel

GreenTree Inn Beijing Fangzhuang Hotel

Harmony Hotel

GreenTree Inn Beijing Zhaogongkou Hotel

Beijing Sentury Apartment Hotel

To check out these, and other possible bargains, visit agoda.com.

Danielle Scott-Arruda, 35, will play in her fourth Olympics. She has been on the U.S. national team since 1994. Playing in their third Olympic Games are Robyn Ah Mow-Santos, Logan Tom, Heather Bown and Stacy Sykora. The team’s coach is herself a bit of a celebrity in the volleyball world. “Jenny” Lang Ping will lead the U.S. team in her hometown of Beijing and in her third Olympic Games. She starred for the Chinese Olympic team that won the gold medal in 1984.

The women of the U.S. Olympic volleyball team playing in Beijing are:

Ogonna Nnamani (Bloomington, Ill.) – Height: 6′1″; Position: outside hitter; Age: 25

Danielle Scott-Arruda (Baton Rouge, La.) – Height: 6′2″; Position: middle blocker; Age: 35

Tayyiba Haneef-Park (Laguna Hills, Calif.) – Height: 6′7″; Position: opposite/outside hitter; Age: 29

Lindsey Berg (Honolulu, Hawaii) – Height: 5′8″; Position: setter; Age: 28

Stacy Sykora (Burleson, Texas) – Height: 5′10″; Position: libero; Age: 31

Nicole Davis (Stockton, Calif.) – Height: 5′4″; Position: libero; Age: 26

Heather Bown (Yorba Linda, Calif.) – Height: 6′3″; Position: middle blocker; Age: 28

Jennifer Joines (Milpitas, Calif.) – Height: 6′3″; Position: middle blocker; Age: 25

Kim Glass (Lancaster, Pa.) – Height: 6′3″; Position: outside hitter; Age: 23

Robyn Ah Mow-Santos (Honolulu, Hawaii) – Height: 5′9″; Position: setter; Age: 32

Kim Willoughby (Napoleanville, La.) – Height: 6′; Position: outside hitter; Age: 27

Logan Tom (Salt Lake City, Utah) – Height: 6′1″; Position: outside hitter; Age: 27

To learn more about women’s indoor volleyball in the Olympics, visit the U.S. Volleyball website. If you want to see all U.S. Olympic qualifiers in every sport for the Beijing games, search on this official U.S. Olympics page. The official Olympics Web site has information about the history of volleyball, as does the official Beijing games site.

Setter Lloy Ball will compete in his fourth Olympic games. In the 2004 games in Athens, the team finished in fourth place. Reid Priddy and Riley Salmon are both outside hitters who played in the ‘04 games. Priddy has been the team’s leading scorer for two seasons. Tom Hoff, who played in two Olympics games, is the team’s captain. The coach is Hugh McCutcheon of Christchurch, New Zealand.

The 1980s and early ’90s were successful times for the men’s volleyall team, but Brazil has been No. 1 in the world and the dominant force in the sport since the turn of the century. Russia is ranked No. 2.

The members of the United States’ men’s indoor volleyball team are:

Lloy Ball (Woodburn, Ind.) - 6′8; 209 lbs., Position: setter; Age: 36

Sean Rooney (Wheaton, Ill.) - 6′9″; 220 lbs; Position outside hitter; Age: 25

David Lee (Alpine, Calif.) - 6′8″; 210 lbs.; Position: middle blocker;  Age: 26

Rich Lambourne (Tustin, Calif.) - 6′3″; 200 lbs.; Position: libero; Age: 33

Reid Priddy (Richmond, Va.) - 6′5″; 195 lbs.; Position: outside hitter; Age: 30

Ryan Miller (Palmdale, Calif.) – 6′8″; 220 lbs.; Position: middle blocker; Age: 30

Riley Salmon (League City, Texas) - 6′6″; 196 lbs.; Position: outside hitter; Age: 32

Tom Hoff (Park Ridge, Ill.) - 6′8″; 215 lbs.; Position: middle blocker; Age: 35

Clay Stanley (Honolulu, Hawaii) – 6′9′; 229 lbs; Position: opposite; Age: 30

Kevin Hansen (Newport Beach, Calif.) – 6′5″; 205 lbs; Position: setter; Age: 26

Gabe Gardner (San Clemente, Calif.) – 6′9; 227 lbs.; Position: opposite; Age: 32

Scott Touzinsky (St. Louis, Mo.) – 6′6; 195 lbs.; Position: outside hitter; Age: 26

To learn more about mens volleyball in the Olympics, go to the sport’s official website. For history and interesting facts about the sport in the Olympic games (it became an Olympic sport in 1964), go to the official Beijing games site, or the official Olympics page.  If you want to see all U.S. Olympic qualifiers in every sport for the games, search on this official U.S. Olympics page.

Volleyball has been an Olympic sport since 1964, but beach volleyball didn’t reach Olympic status until the Atlanta games in 1996.

The members of the men’s beach volleyball team are:

Phil Dalhausser (Ormond Beach, Fla.) – Age: 28

Todd Rogers (Santa Barbara, Calif.) – Age: 34

Jake Gibb (Bountiful, Utah) - Age: 32

Sean Rosenthal (Redondo Beach, Calif.) – Age: 28

For more information on the mens’ U.S. Olympic beach volleyball team, visit their Web site. If you want to see all U.S. Olympic qualifiers in every sport for the Beijing games starting in August, start your search on this official U.S. Olympics page.

The Americans will have stiff competition from the Chinese pair of Jia Tian and Jie Wang, one of two Chinese teams ranked in the top six in the world, according to the USA Volleyball Web site.

Volleyball has been an Olympic sport since 1964, but beach volleyball is a relative newcomer to the games, starting in 1996.

Misty May-Treanor (Costa Mesa, Calif.) – Age: 31

Kerri Walsh (Saratoga, Calif.) – Age: 30

Nicole Branagh (Orinda, Calif.) – Age: 29

Elaine Youngs (El Toro, Calif.). – Age: 38

For more information on the U.S. Women’s Olympic Beach Volleyball team, visit their website. If you want to see all U.S. Olympic qualifiers in every sport for the Beijing games starting in August, start your search on this official U.S. Olympics page.

The U.S. baseball team did not qualify for the Olympic games four years ago, but before that won the gold in Sydney in 2000. Three members of the team won gold in last year’s World Cup. Of the 30 Major League Baseball organizations, 15 are represented on the Olympic team. Since the sport has been dropped from the program for 2012, this is the last time it will take the Olympic stage for at least a while.

Here are the names of the Olympic team members:

Brett Anderson (Midland, Texas) – Height: 6′4; Weight: 215; P, L/L

Jake Arrieta (Farmington, Mo.) – Height: 6′4; Weight: 225; P R/R

Brian Barden (Templeton, Calif.) – Height: 5′11; Weight: 185; IF, R/R

Matthew Brown (Bellevue, Wash.) – Height: 6′0; Weight: 200; IF, R/R

Trevor Cahill (Oceanside, Calif.) – Height: 6′3; Weight: 195; P, R/R

Jeremy Cummings (Charleston, W.V.) – Height: 6′2; Weight 215; P R/R

Jason Donald (Fresno, Calif.) – Height: 6′1; Weight: 190; IF, R/R

Brian Duensing (Marysville, Kansas) – Height 5′11; Weight 210; P, L/L

Dexter Fowler (Atlanta, Geo.) – Height: 6′4; Weight: 175; OF, S/R

John Gall (Stanford, Calif.) – Height: 6′0; Weight: 195; OF, R/R

Mike Hessman (Fountain Valley, Calif.) – Height: 6′5; Weight: 215; IF, R/R

Kevin Jepsen (Anaheim, Calif.) – Height: 6′3; Weight: 215; P, R/R

Brandon Knight (Oxnard, Calif.) – Height: 6′0; Weight: 195; P, L/R

Mike Koplove (Philadelphia, Penn.) – Height: 6′0; Weight: 160; P, R/R

Matt LaPorta (Port Charlotte, Fla.) – Height: 6′2; Weight: 210; OF, R/R

Lou Marson (Scottsdale, Ariz.) – Height: 6′1; Weight: 200; C, RR

Blaine Neal (Marlton, N.J.) – Height: 6′5; Weight: 240; P, L/R

Jason Nix (Dallas) – Height: 5′11; Weight: 185; 2B, R/R

Nate Schierholtz (Reno, Nev.) – Height: 6′2; Weight: 215; OF, L/R

Jeff Stevens (Berkeley, Calif.) – Height: 6′2; Weight: 205; P, R/R

Stephen Strasburg (San Diego) – Height: 6′5; Weight: 215; P, R/R

Taylor Teagarden (Dallas) – Height: 6′1; Weight: 200; C, R/R

Terry Tiffee (North Little Rock, Ark.) – Height: 6′3; Weight: 215; IF, S/R

Casey Weathers (Elk Grove, Calif.) – Height: 6′1; Weight: 200; P/R/R

For more information on the U.S. Olympic Baseball Team, go to their website.  If you would like to see a list of all the U.S. Olympic Qualifiers in every sport for the Beijing games, start your search on this official U.S. Olympics page.