The Ultimate Showdown: Usain Bolt vs Kylian Mbappe in a 100m Dash
Imagine the world’s fastest man, Usain Bolt, lining up against the fastest footballer, Kylian Mbappe, for a 100m dash. The thought of it is electrifying.
Bolt, the Jamaican sprinting legend, set the world record in the 100m at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin with a blistering time of 9.58 seconds. His top speed? A staggering 27.8mph (44.72 km/h).
Mbappe, on the other hand, has been clocking impressive speeds on the football pitch. Back in February 2021, he recorded a top speed of 22.4mph (36 km/h) during a Ligue 1 clash against Marseille. More recently, he clocked an estimated speed of 10.9 seconds over 100 metres during PSG’s Champions League win over Real Sociedad.
So, how would these two speed demons fare against each other?
To find out, we teamed up with YouTube channel Speed Showdown, who calculated Mbappe’s 100m time based on his fastest ever recorded speed of 23.6mph (38 km/h). The result? A virtual showdown that’s sure to get your heart racing.
As seen below, the experiment shows a variety of camera angles of the virtual race, including a POV from Mbappe, who is overtaken from the get-go.
"This video is cool and precise," said one YouTube user. "It’s a fact that Mbappe can’t come close to Usain."
In fact, during the 2022-23 Champions League campaign, Mbappe did not feature in the top 10 quickest players list. Instead, the joint-fastest speed was recorded by then-Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhailo Mudryk, who now plays for Chelsea, and Ousmane Dembele, both reaching speeds of 36.6km/h.
AC Milan forward Rafael Leao was third with a top speed of 36.5km/h, closely followed by Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde (36.3km/h). Nuno Tavares, who was on loan at Marseille, and Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies were next on the list with a top speed of 36.2km/h.
Mbappe, meanwhile, was 11th on the list with a top speed of 35.6km/h.
So, what can we takeaway from this virtual showdown? That while Mbappe is an incredible footballer, he’s still no match for the world’s fastest man.
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