Usain Bolt had no trouble beating his human competitors back in his days, but how would he fare against a more challenging (and less human) opponent?
Bolt is an icon of Olympic glory with eight gold medals to his name. He retired from the track in 2017 after leaving a currently untouchable mark on the sport. His record-setting sprint of 9.58 seconds in the 100m race at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin remains unparalleled.
With his top speed reaching a mind-boggling 47.72km/h during that historic run, Bolt’s dominance in sprinting against humans has led to speculation about how he would fare against other creatures.
Previous simulations have pitted him against a cheetah, in which he quite expectedly did not come out on top, with the cheetah completing the race in 5.95 seconds.
The latest simulation presents Bolt facing off against a greyhound, renowned as the fastest dog breed in the world. The contrast is stark, with the canine from Great Britain leaving the Jamaican sprinter trailing in its wake.
Greyhounds are renowned for their remarkable acceleration and unmatched speed. They can reach speeds of approximately 45mph (72km/h). In contrast, Bolt’s average speed during his record-breaking run was around 29.65mph.
In the simulated 100m dash, the greyhound blitzes past the finish line in a mere 5.80 seconds, nearly four seconds ahead of Bolt. Even when given a significant head start in a subsequent race, Bolt fails to outpace the canine challenger.
Beyond races against animals, a separate simulation pitted Bolt against Kylian Mbappe, acclaimed as one of the fastest soccer players globally.
While Usain Bolt comfortably beat Mbappe, the soccer star’s time of 10.9 seconds in the simulated race highlights his impressive speed from another sport, albeit falling short of Bolt’s super-human standards.
