Usain Bolt's top speed: how fast is Usain Bolt?
Usain Bolt reached about 27.8 mph (44.7 km/h, 12.4 m/s) during his 9.58 world record in Berlin on 16 August 2009, covering 60 to 80 m in 1.61 s. Averaged over the full 100m, including his reaction to the gun, he ran 10.44 m/s, or 23.4 mph.
- 100mWorld record, Berlin, 16 Aug 2009 (+0.9 m/s wind)On record
- 9.58
- Top speed44.7 km/h · 12.42 m/s, average over 60–80 m (1.61 s)From splits
- ≈27.8 mph
- 40-yard splitInside the 9.58, from first movement (4.35 from the gun)From splits
- ≈4.20
- Average speed100 m ÷ 9.58 s = 10.44 m/s (37.6 km/h)From splits
- 23.4 mph
Compare yourself to Usain Bolt
The converter starts at Usain Bolt's 100m time. Put in yours to see your speed and how far behind (or ahead of) Bolt you'd finish.
These numbers are estimates from a sprint velocity curve fitted to Usain Bolt's official Berlin 2009 splits. A 40 is timed from first movement and often by hand, so football 40s convert to optimistic 100m times. How the estimate works
- Usain Bolt 9.58 s (world record)Dead heat
- Noah Lyles 9.79 s (PB)You win by 2.5 m
- Gout Gout 10.00 s (PB)You win by 4.9 m
- Tyreek Hill 10.19 s (HS 2012)You win by 6.9 m
Usain Bolt's mph, km/h and m/s
The figure you usually see, 27.8 mph or 44.72 km/h, comes from Bolt's fastest 20 m of the 9.58: the IAAF split data put 60 to 80 m at 1.61 s, and 20 m ÷ 1.61 s = 12.42 m/s. That makes it his average speed across a 20 m window.
Published numbers differ slightly depending on the data set. The 10 m split table used by Helene & Yamashita (Am. J. Phys., 2010) has Bolt at 60 m in 6.29 s and 80 m in 7.92 s, which gives 1.63 s for that stretch, or 12.27 m/s (27.4 mph). The same paper cites a laser-measured peak of 12.27 m/s at about 65 m. That puts his top speed at 27.4 to 27.8 mph, or 44 to 45 km/h.
Usain Bolt's 40-yard dash time
Bolt never ran a timed football 40, but his Berlin splits pass through 40 yards (36.576 m). Interpolating between his 30 m split (3.78) and 40 m split (4.64) puts him at 36.576 m about 4.35 s after the gun. Subtract his 0.146 s reaction time and he covered 40 yards in about 4.20 s from his first movement, which is how a 40 is timed.
He ran it from blocks inside a 100m race. A Combine 40 starts from a three-point stance on a hand-started clock, so the two times don't compare directly. They are close enough that Xavier Worthy's 4.21 Combine record often gets set against Bolt's split.
FAQ
More speed comparisons
- Tyreek HillPro Day 40, track PRs and game speed
- Noah Lyles100m and 200m bests and a 40 estimate
- Gout GoutLegal vs. wind-assisted 100m, and the 19.67 200m
- Bo JacksonWhere the 4.12 came from, and what was timed
- IShowSpeedWhether he has a verified 100m time
- Fastest 40-yard dashEvery Combine 40 of 4.27 or faster
- How fast can a human run?Record top speeds and what limits them
The Sprint University app
Chase your own top speed
The Sprint University app builds acceleration and max-velocity work around your times and adjusts each session to how recovered you are. The program comes from Lawrence L.O. Johnson, a 6× NCAA All-American and Team USA sprinter.
Get Sprint UniversityUsain Bolt is mentioned for comparison only and is not affiliated with Sprint University.
Sources
- World Athletics: “Bolt again! 9.58 World record in Berlin” (16 Aug 2009)
- Wikipedia: Men's 100 metres world record progression (9.58, +0.9 m/s, Berlin)
- Helene & Yamashita, “The force, power and energy of the 100 meter sprint,” Am. J. Phys. 78, 307 (2010): Berlin 2009 10 m splits and 0.146 s reaction (IAAF data)
- SpeedEndurance.com: “Usain Bolt splits 9.69 vs 9.58” (IAAF 20 m splits, 60–80 m in 1.61 s)
- Wikipedia: Usain Bolt (personal bests, Olympic titles)
- Samozino et al., “A simple method for measuring power, force, velocity properties, and mechanical effectiveness in sprint running,” Scand. J. Med. Sci. Sports 26:648–658 (2016)
- Wikipedia: 40-yard dash (36.576 m; Combine hand-start/electronic-stop timing since 1999)