Asafa Powell — 9.72 seconds

Asafa Powell held the world record twice (9.77s in 2005, then 9.74s in 2007) before Usain Bolt arrived and set the current mark. He ran sub-9.80 seconds 97 times in his career—the most of any athlete in history—demonstrating extraordinary consistency over more than a decade. His 9.72 seconds personal best is 0.14 seconds off Bolt's record, but Powell's 97 sub-9.80 runs are more than double the tally of #2 Tyson Gay (39 such runs), making him the most prolific sub-10 performer in the sport's history.