UNITED Kingdom-based The Guardian summed it up as "9.63 breathtaking seconds"; The Times of London simply said "lightening strike", while Sweden's Dagens Nyheter (Daily News) read "Varlds Klass, Bolt!" which in English is translated as 'world-class, Bolt'.

From Europe to Asia, Africa to the Americas, images of Usain Bolt as he crossed the 100-metre finish line first ahead of his compatriot Yohan Blake Sunday in a record 9.63 seconds at the London 2012 Olympic Games were splashed across the front pages of newspapers.

Bolt's time bettered the record 9.69 seconds he ran at the 2008 Beijing Games, where he jogged the last 30-metres or so to the finish line. It was also a shade slower than the world record 9.58 seconds he registered over the distance in the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, Germany.

In the Middle East, Bolt's record run was the only bit of good news on the front pages, sharing space with stories and images of violence in a territory rocked by continual unrest.

Many images of Bolt featured him doing his famous "to the world" pose, others showing him dipping as he crosses the finish line.

Here are some front pages from Newseum.org.