A 3D simulation has showed how a 100m race between Usain Bolt and Kylian Mbappe would plan out based on their fastest recorded speed.
Jamaican superstar Bolt will go down in history as one of the finest Olympians after dominating the sprints for years.
He won the 2008 Olympic gold medal when he broke the world record in the 100m race. Bolt then broke his own record a year later, a time that is still unbeaten to this day.
Back in 2023, we had a look at what a 100m race would look like if Usain Bolt clocked his world record speed [9.58s] alongside Robert Smith; a character deemed ‘the average person’.
Bolt, who recorded a top speed of 27.8mph [44.72 km/h] during that mind-blowing time at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, predictably ripped Smith to shreds on the track.
But how does the Jamaican compare when pitted against one of the world’s quickest footballers?
Real Madrid and France forward Kylian Mbappe has previously clocked some impressive speeds on the football pitch.
Back in February 2021, he ran the length of the pitch in 11 seconds during a Ligue 1 clash against Marseille, recording a top speed of 22.4mph.
More recently, he clocked an estimated speed of 10.9 seconds over 100 metres during PSG’s Champions League win over Real Sociedad during the 23/24 season.
So how would he fare against Bolt?
The 25-year-old’s 100m time has never been recorded on a track but YouTube channel Speed Showdown has calculated a time based on his fastest ever recorded speed of 23.6mph [38km/h].
The experiment, as seen below, shows a variety of camera angles of the virtual race, including a POV from Mbappe, who is overtaken from the get-go.
“This video is cool and precise,” said one YouTube user. “It’s a fact that Mbappe can’t come close to Usain.”
It may come as a surprise to many but during the 2022-23 Champions League campaign, Mbappe did not feature in the top 10 quickest players list.
Instead, the joint-fastest speed was recorded by then-Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhailo Mudryk, who now plays for Chelsea, and Ousmane Dembele.
According to stats from the Champions League website, they both reached 36.6km/h at some point during the group stage.
AC Milan forward Rafael Leao was third with a top speed of 36.5km/h, closely followed by Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde (36.3km/h).
Nuno Tavares, who was on loan at Marseille, and Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies were next on the list with a top speed of 36.2km/h.
Mbappe, meanwhile, was 11th on the list with a top speed of 35.6km/h.
Featured Image Credit: YouTube/Speed Showdown
Topics: Athletics, Kylian Mbappe, Usain Bolt, Real Madrid