Many are interested in knowing how fast a person can run. In order not to engage in speculative calculations, you should turn to the world of sports, namely athletics. It is worth paying attention to sprinters. Usain Bolt acts in this discipline, the maximum speed of which is shown in the 100 m race. His records at various distances are recorded in the competition protocols.
Who is Usain Bolt
Perhaps this name has been heard by many people even far from the world of sports. And this is not surprising, because Usain Bolt, whose maximum speed is 44.72 km / h, is considered the fastest person on the planet. This is an athlete from Jamaica who runs sprint distances. He showed his best results at the 100-meter and set several world records. Today, Usain Bolt 6 times climbed to the highest step of the podium at the Olympic Games. In addition, he won 8 times in world championships.
Biography and sports career
Usain Bolt was born on 08.21.1986 in the small Jamaican town of Sherwood Content. He studied at the most ordinary primary and secondary school. In childhood, the future star of world sports was seriously fond of cricket. However, during the competition he was noticed by a track and field coach and saw a great speed potential in him. He advised Usain to run. The boy listened to an experienced trainer and devoted himself to athletics.
Bolt won the first world-class gold medal at the World Junior Championships in Kingston at a distance of 200 m. He ran this distance in 20.61 seconds. Two years later, he set a world record among juniors at this distance - 19.93 seconds.
Since 2008, Usain Bolt has been steadily performing at world-class competitions and holds the title of the best athlete in the world and the fastest person on earth. He has won victories in the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing (2008) and in London (2012), at the World Athletics Championships in 2009, 2011 and 2013. An athlete performs at distances of 100 m and 200 m. In addition, he participates in the 4 x 100 m relay as part of the Jamaican team.
top scores
Before the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Bolt did not run a 100-meter. The debut brought him world fame, a gold medal and the first world record - 9.69 sec. From that moment on, a Jamaican athlete was talked about as an extraordinary phenomenon in the world of athletics.
A year later, Bolt improved his score immediately by 0.11 seconds: at the World Championships in Germany, he overcame his “crown” distance in 9.58 seconds.
In addition, Bolt continues to successfully perform at a distance of 200 m. He set a world record at the 2008 Olympic Games in 19.3 seconds, and at the 2009 World Championship he improved it by 0.11 seconds - 19.19 seconds. This result remains unsurpassed so far.
Usain Bolt has recently set another unofficial record. The maximum speed in the room was achieved by him. As a result, the sprinter covered 100 m in 9.98 seconds. This is the first athlete to run this distance in less than 10 seconds indoors.
What is the reason for phenomenal success?
All participants, and especially the winners of the Olympics, go through very strict anti-doping control. Based on the results of these checks, it was established that Usain Bolt does not take prohibited drugs. Maximum speed is achieved due to the structural features of the body. After winning the Olympics, a Jamaican athlete took part in a number of studies.
The runner has extremely high growth for the sprinter (1.96 m), so he can take long steps - up to 2.85 m. The average figure is 2.44 m. He overcomes the distance in 40-42 steps. His rivals have to rearrange their legs more often. On average, 45-47 steps are taken on a 100-meter. However, with such growth, slow muscle fibers are usually developed, which gives endurance. However, Bolt has 2/3 fast muscle fibers, which allows him to achieve high speed. On average, a runner takes 254 steps per minute (4.23 sh / s), and the maximum speed of Usain Bolt runner is 264 sh / min (4.4 sh / s). For more than half the time, Bolt was in the flight phase, that is, did not touch the ground with his feet. Another important factor is the absence of serious injuries, due to which the Jamaican can build up his form. All these factors allow him to win the title of the fastest person on the planet.
So what is the speed?
The maximum recorded speed of Usain Bolt at a distance of 100 m is 9.58 seconds. That is, the average pace is 37.58 km / h. However, everyone knows that the sprint can be divided into phases: starting acceleration, distance running, finishing. Bolt showed maximum speed in the area between 60 and 80 m. He overcame this segment in less than 2 seconds (1.61 sec). Thus, the maximum speed reached 44.72 km / h (or 12.42 m / s). After that, he began to noticeably slow down. Researchers do not exclude that the result could be even better if the sprinter ran the last 20 meters at full strength. So, the maximum speed of the Usain Bolt runner is 44.72 km / h.
However, neither the athlete himself nor the athletics researchers have any doubt that this is not the limit of human capabilities. It is possible that after some time the barrier of 9.5 seconds will be left behind.