A 3D simulation compares how fast Usain Bolt, the fastest greyhound, and a cheetah can run.
A 3D simulation recently compared Usain Bolt’s record-breaking 100-metre speed with that of the fastest greyhound and cheetah in the world. Bolt is turning 40 on Friday (August 21) and has been retired from competitive running for a while now.
He ran his last official race at the 2017 World Athletics Championships, finishing third in the 100m. Eight years before that, in Berlin, he set his amazing world record of 9.58 seconds—a time no one has really come close to beating. The fastest time this year belongs to Noah Lyles, who ran 9.79 seconds in July.
With new technology always changing athletics, it’s exciting to see if the next generation of sprinters can one day beat Bolt’s record. Australian athlete Gout Gout, who ran a personal best of 10.00 seconds at just 18 years old, may be more suited for the 200m event—where Bolt also holds a world record.
Since no human can match Bolt’s speed yet, animals are the ones who come close. The YouTube channel MotionAthlete, which creates simulations of Bolt racing top animals, matched him against a greyhound and a cheetah. Back in 2024, they raced 100 metres head-to-head—and to be honest, you wouldn’t want either of these animals chasing you!
The cheetah finished in an incredible 4.74 seconds, while the greyhound clocked 5.82 seconds. MotionAthlete worked out their top speeds too: the greyhound can reach 77 km/h, and the cheetah blasts up to a crazy 120 km/h. The greyhound takes 60 metres to hit its top speed, and the cheetah just 50 metres.
Since retiring, Bolt has slowed down a lot. In a September interview with The Telegraph, he shared that he now lives a pretty regular life, very different from his days as a sprinter.
“I usually wake up just in time to see my kids off to school, and then I take the day as it comes,” the Jamaican said. “If I don’t have anything planned, I just relax. Sometimes I work out if I’m feeling it. I watch shows and chill until the kids get home. I spend time with them until they annoy me, then I leave. After that, I stay home and watch movies or build Lego—I’m really into Lego now.”