Get you up to speed: Usain Bolt’s 100m record broken at World Humanoid Robot Games
A humanoid robot named Lightning, developed by Chinese smartphone maker Honor, ran 100 metres in 9.32 seconds in Beijing, surpassing Usain Bolt’s world record. The event took place during a preparatory test for the second World Humanoid Robot Games.
The second World Humanoid Robot Games officially opened in Beijing on 22 August 2026. Prior to the competition, the robot Lightning’s legs were lengthened from 95 cm to 1.05 metres to optimise performance.
China has signalled its commitment to advancing humanoid robotics as a key industry, highlighting the successful performance of the robot Lightning at the World Humanoid Robot Games as a significant achievement. Following this event, policymakers and companies will likely intensify efforts to integrate AI and robotics into various sectors, including manufacturing and logistics.
What remains unclear — It is not specified how the robot’s performance will impact the future of competitive athletics.
Chinese robot breaks Usain Bolt’s 100m record at World Humanoid Robot Games
Sport|AthleticsUsain Bolt’s 100m record broken at World Humanoid Robot Games
Chinese robot reaches peak speed of 14.5 metres per second to beat Bolt’s 100m record in Beijing, says state media.
Published On 22 Aug 202622 Aug 2026
A humanoid robot developed by Chinese smartphone maker Honor ran 100 metres (328ft) in 9.32 seconds, China’s state broadcaster has reported, beating the human world record held by Jamaican sprinting great Usain Bolt.
The robot, dubbed Lightning, reached a peak speed of 14.5 metres (47.6ft) per second during a preparatory test event for the second World Humanoid Robot Games, which opened in Beijing on Saturday.
The performance surpassed the 9.58-second men’s 100-metre world record set by Bolt at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin in 2009.
China has been promoting humanoid robots as a strategic emerging industry, with policymakers and companies betting that advances in AI and hardware will accelerate their deployment in manufacturing, logistics and consumer applications.
Lightning also won the 21km (13-mile) Beijing half marathon in April in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, faster than the elite men’s human world-record pace.
The robot stood 169cm (5.5ft) tall and had 95cm (3.1ft) legs at the half marathon. Researchers have since lengthened its legs by 10 cm to 1.05 metres (3.4ft) before the World Humanoid Robot Games, CCTV reported.
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