Ask Athlon Sports: Usain Bolt

Q: How fast was Usain Bolt running in miles per hour at his top speed during his world-record 100-meter dash?

— Curt Whitmire, Rockford, Ill.

A: Bolt’s accomplishments are quickly — pun intended — becoming legendary. He’s a five-time world champion and three-time Olympic gold medalist, and he’s the current world record-holder in the 100m, 200m and 4x100 meter relay (with teammates). Perhaps his greatest personal achievement came at the 2009 World Championships, where Bolt broke his own world record for the 100 meters, re-earning his unofficial title as the World’s Fastest Man, with a blinding time of 9.58 seconds. In taking more than a tenth of a second off his own mark, Bolt posted the largest single improvement in the 100m world record since the advent of electronic timing. As for your question: According to a biometrical analysis of Bolt’s run, he reached an astonishing top speed of 27.45 mph. Just for reference, a white-tailed deer tops out at 30 mph.

— Rob Doster, Senior Editor

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