Bolt at 44kph, Cheetah at 120kph!
ONE popular soft drink advert shows a thirst-stricken man chasing down a cheetah. When he inevitably catches it, he pulls the soda being advertised out of the cheetah’s insides, leaving the bewildered animal motionless.
By Charles Mutebi
ONE popular soft drink advert shows a thirst-stricken man chasing down a cheetah. When he inevitably catches it, he pulls the soda being advertised out of the cheetah’s insides, leaving the bewildered animal motionless.
It is fiction at its cheeky best but after watching Usain Bolt blaze the 100m track at the World Championship in a world record 9.58 seconds, is it time to start asking how long before we see a human being capable of chasing down a cheetah?
Or better still, how would Bolt match up in a one-on-one against the fastest animal on land?
First, consider Bolt’s statistics. His time of 9.58 seconds means he took one second for every 10.15metres. It also means he run the 100m at an average speed of 37.58km per hour.
Even more impressive, Bolt clocked an average 44.72km per hour between 60m and 80m.
Experts have declared the sprinter a “one offâ€, meaning we wont see anything like him soon.
Dr Richard Ferguson, a senior lecturer in exercise physiology at Loughborough University said: “He’s something of a one off. I don’t think we’ll see anyone like him for a very long time.
“He’s a good five to six inches taller than his competitors,†he said.
“His muscles will be slightly longer. If you have longer legs then you have longer muscles, which can generate more speed and more velocity.â€
It is all phenomenon stuff but how does Bolt measure up against the cheetah? The short answer is he doesn’t.
Cheetahs reach between 112 and 120km per hour speeds, meaning they can run 100m in three seconds. In fact, a cheetah has the ability to accelerate from 0 to 110km in three seconds, which is faster than most super cars.
Of course even man’s best friend would outclass him in a sprint duel.
Dogs are comfortably faster than human beings and in fact the fastest dog, grey hound, can reach 64.37km/h.
Horses are also known for their high speeds and rightly so as they can manage up to 80km/h, which is why man decided to race on top of them rather than against them.
But the cheetah is untouchable and if you put one against Bolt, it would cross the 100m finish line some 65 metres in front, some gap by any standard.
However, Bolt has promised to run 9.4 seconds soon, and seeing as he is only 22 we can safely assume the cheetah’s days as the ultimate sprint king are numbered!
ONE popular soft drink advert shows a thirst-stricken man chasing down a cheetah. When he inevitably catches it, he pulls the soda being advertised out of the cheetah’s insides, leaving the bewildered animal motionless.
It is fiction at its cheeky best but after watching Usain Bolt blaze the 100m track at the World Championship in a world record 9.58 seconds, is it time to start asking how long before we see a human being capable of chasing down a cheetah?
Or better still, how would Bolt match up in a one-on-one against the fastest animal on land?
First, consider Bolt’s statistics. His time of 9.58 seconds means he took one second for every 10.15metres. It also means he run the 100m at an average speed of 37.58km per hour.
Even more impressive, Bolt clocked an average 44.72km per hour between 60m and 80m.
Experts have declared the sprinter a “one offâ€, meaning we wont see anything like him soon.
Dr Richard Ferguson, a senior lecturer in exercise physiology at Loughborough University said: “He’s something of a one off. I don’t think we’ll see anyone like him for a very long time.
“He’s a good five to six inches taller than his competitors,†he said.
“His muscles will be slightly longer. If you have longer legs then you have longer muscles, which can generate more speed and more velocity.â€
It is all phenomenon stuff but how does Bolt measure up against the cheetah? The short answer is he doesn’t.
Cheetahs reach between 112 and 120km per hour speeds, meaning they can run 100m in three seconds. In fact, a cheetah has the ability to accelerate from 0 to 110km in three seconds, which is faster than most super cars.
Of course even man’s best friend would outclass him in a sprint duel.
Dogs are comfortably faster than human beings and in fact the fastest dog, grey hound, can reach 64.37km/h.
Horses are also known for their high speeds and rightly so as they can manage up to 80km/h, which is why man decided to race on top of them rather than against them.
But the cheetah is untouchable and if you put one against Bolt, it would cross the 100m finish line some 65 metres in front, some gap by any standard.
However, Bolt has promised to run 9.4 seconds soon, and seeing as he is only 22 we can safely assume the cheetah’s days as the ultimate sprint king are numbered!