In March, sprint veteran Usain Bolt sparked a heated controversy by dismissing allegations that French football star Kylian Mbappe had run a speed close to his own 100-meter world record.
Mbappe, one of the fastest football players, reportedly raced 100 meters in 10.9 seconds during a game. This is a full second slower than Bolt’s 9.58 seconds, the world record.
The debate began when UK broadcaster BBC Sport highlighted the speed comparison, suggesting that Mbappe’s time of 10.9 seconds was “just over a second” behind Bolt’s record.
However, Bolt quickly shut down the comparison, pointing out that Mbappe’s time wouldn’t even rank him among the fastest women in track and field, stating bluntly, “The girls are running faster than that.”
To settle the debate, Motion Athlete, a sports analysis group, ran a simulation to pit Mbappe against one of the world’s fastest female sprinters, Sha’Carri Richardson.
Richardson, who boasts a personal best of 10.65 seconds, is the sixth-fastest woman in history. The simulation aimed to see how Mbappe would fare against a top-tier sprinter like Richardson if both raced under similar conditions.
According to the simulation, Mbappe’s best potential track time would be around 10.75 seconds. However, factoring in reaction time—a critical element in track events—his race time would rise to 11.02 seconds.
Various sources, including givemesport.com, suggested Mbappe could achieve a 10.60 time, while a discussion involving professional athletes on Reddit estimated his best at around 10.81 seconds. Aggregating these estimates, Mbappe’s top speed over 100 meters still fell short of Richardson’s personal best.
The simulated race revealed that Richardson, despite her historically slow starts, would edge out the Real Madrid forward.
Her elite top-end speed, which helped her earn a silver medal in the 100 meters at the Paris 2024 Olympics, allowed her to close the gap and take the lead after 50 meters, ultimately beating Mbappe to the finish line.
While Mbappe’s speed on the football pitch is undeniable, the simulation reaffirmed Bolt’s statement that elite female sprinters outpace even the fastest footballers. Mbappe’s time places him far from the top of global track rankings, proving that while he’s fast in football terms, he’s still behind the world’s best sprinters.
Ultimately, Bolt’s comment that “the girls are running faster than that” holds true, and the simulation leaves little doubt that Richardson’s sprinting prowess would surpass Mbappe on the track.
