Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe is recognized as one of the quickest players in global football. What would happen if he were to race Usain Bolt?
A 3D simulation was developed to envision a 100m sprint between Usain Bolt and Kylian Mbappe, utilizing their highest recorded speeds for a theoretical matchup.
Previously, an article was shared about how a 100m race might unfold if Usain Bolt ran at his record-breaking speed [9.58s] alongside a hypothetical average individual, Robert Smith.
Bolt, achieving a peak velocity of 27.8mph [44.72 km/h] at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, effortlessly outpaced Smith.
However, the question arises about how Bolt’s speed measures up to one of the fastest soccer players globally.
Kylian Mbappe, the Paris Saint-Germain and French national team striker, has shown remarkable speed on the soccer field.
In a February 2021 Ligue 1 game against Marseille, he covered the field in 11 seconds, hitting a top speed of 22.4mph. More notably, in a Champions League victory over Real Sociedad, he reached an estimated 10.9 seconds over 100 metres.
The question is, how would he compare in a race against Bolt?
While Mbappe’s 100m track time is unknown, the YouTube channel Speed Showdown estimated a time based on his fastest recorded speed of 23.6mph [38km/h].
The simulation, presented from various angles including Mbappe’s perspective, shows him being swiftly overtaken.
Interestingly, during the 2022-23 Champions League season, Mbappe was not among the top 10 fastest players.
The highest speed was achieved by Mykhailo Mudryk, formerly of Shakhtar Donetsk and now at Chelsea, and Ousmane Dembele, according to the Champions League’s official statistics, both clocking 36.6km/h during the group stages.
