Usain Bolt, who won eight Olympic gold medals across three Games, is best known for obliterating the 100m and 200m world records.
Bolt’s crowning moment came at the 2009 World Championships, where he clocked a jaw-dropping 9.58 seconds in the 100m final, a record that still stands to this day. He also holds world records in the 200m (19.19 seconds) and the 4x100m relay (36.84 seconds).
While Usain Bolt dominated the track, fans have often speculated which footballers could come close to his pace. Initially, Bolt brushed off the idea in an interview when asked if any player could challenge him. But then, he revealed one name, Kylian Mbappé.
“I would love to have competed with Mbappé in my prime,” Usain Bolt admitted as reported by Sports Bible.
“You know what I mean, to see how close he would be. I feel like one day he needs to just run 100m and let me see the time.”
Could Mbappé Really Challenge Bolt?
As it turns out, science had a go at answering that. A 3D simulation race used the top recorded speeds of both athletes to visualize the showdown.
Bolt’s peak speed of 27.8mph (44.72 km/h), recorded during his 2009 Berlin run, was matched against Mbappé’s identical 27.8mph burst during a Champions League match between PSG and Real Sociedad.
As expected, Usain Bolt comfortably won. Even with Mbappé’s extraordinary pace, Bolt’s superior acceleration and sustained top-end speed made the difference. One simulated camera angle from the Frenchman’s point of view starkly highlighted the gap between them.
Who Is Kylian Mbappé?
Kylian Mbappé is one of football’s modern icons. The French forward began his career with AS Monaco before moving to Paris Saint-Germain for a record-breaking €180 million (£152 million). During his time in Paris, he collected six Ligue 1 titles and played alongside global stars like Neymar and Lionel Messi.
Though European club glory in the UEFA Champions League eluded him, Mbappé’s international career has been nothing short of spectacular. At just 19, he helped France lift the 2018 FIFA World Cup, becoming the first teenager since Pelé to score in a final.
Four years later, he nearly single-handedly dragged France to a second consecutive title, scoring a historic hat-trick in the 2022 World Cup final, a feat only previously achieved by England’s Sir Geoff Hurst in 1966.
Now at Real Madrid, Mbappé continues to terrorize defenders with his electrifying pace, proving time and again why he’s one of the most feared forwards in the game.
