Only two men have ever accelerated to the limit of 43.9 km/h. The first was the American Maurice Greene, sustaining the maximum speed for 10 meters, in 1999, in a race of 100 meters disputed in Rome. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Jamaican Usain Bolt matched the speed, but went further. The guy pulverized the world record sustaining 43.9 km/h for 30 meters – almost a third of the race. \O/
FAST SWIPE
Usain Bolt took 21 steps to reach the 43.9 km/h limit
Bolt took off second to last, reacting to the starting signal after 0.165 s – but reaction time represents just 1% of the race. Studies suggest that, with the wind in favor and without relaxing at the end, Bolt would be 14 hundredths faster, increasing the distance to rivals by 1.30 m.
0-50 m
Bolt covered the first half of the race in 5.6 s, the same time as the Vectra 2.0 with an automatic transmission.
50-80M
Maximum speed: 43.9 km/h
80-100M
Bolt slows down and celebrates crossing the line at 40 km/h