Throwback—Wayne Gretzky showcases raw speed against the world’s best athletes

Every Canadian knows that Wayne Gretzky is one of Canada’s greatest athletes of all time, but did you know he was also a world-class sprinter? In 1982, a 21-year-old “Great One” lined up against some of the best athletes of all time at the World Sports Masters event in Göteborg, Sweden. Gretzky put on a clinic, beating them all over 60m, in a stunning time of 7.24 seconds.

Gretzky can be seen in the video beating the likes of Pelé (soccer), Sugar Ray Leonard (boxing) and Björn Borg (tennis). Although Pelé was twice Gretzky’s age at the time, the 42-year-old gave a solid effort to beat Leonard and finish third after Borg. After the race, Pelé conngratulated The Great One in a heartwarming fashion.

Leonard, who was 26 at the time, didn’t even use the starting blocks, and looked as if he regretted lining up as soon as he started.

While it is hard to ignore the funky 80s uniforms, there’s another video from the same event of Gretzky again beating Borg, plus Swedish Olympic skiing champion Ingemar Stenmark and English footballer Kevin Keegan.

Gretzky was well known for his awareness and anticipation on the ice. He scored 894 goals and 1,963 assists in 1,487 games, averaging nearly two points per game during his 20-year NHL career. Another of his strengths was his fast and nimble skating, which helped him avoid contact and beat defenders. The videos clearly showcased some of his raw speed.

His time of 7.24 seconds for 60m in 1982 would have been faster than the men’s 60m national records of Mexico, New Zealand and Kenya. Who knows what Gretzky could’ve run in today’s super spikes, or if he trained for the sprint disciplines, or fixed his form so it doesn’t look like he’s fighting off Canada geese with his forearms?