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Two crazy ways to break Usain Bolt’s 100m world record

Usain Bolt is the considered the world's fastest man as the 100m world record holder. These two men got creative in an attempt to break his record.

Usain Bolt 100m

Usain Bolt is the undisputed world record holder in the men’s 100m, the marquee event in track and field. Considering his track record of Olympic gold medals and world championship titles, no one has proved to be a threat to his reign as the world’s fastest man.

The following two videos provide conditions for what’s actually needed to break Bolt’s 9.58 100m world record. Either on a downhill slope at a ridiculous angle. Or with the help of 32 km/h tailwinds.

Greg Vollet running 100m with the help of gravity

Despite running at ridiculous speeds down the side of a mountain, Vollet maintains composure and stays on his feet to clock approximately 9.55 seconds (hand timed by Canadian Running).

Justin Gatlin (2004 Olympic champion) running 100m with the help of giant fans and Japanese supporters near the finish line.

The video, first published in July, shows Gatlin on a Japanese game show running a wind-aided 9.45 for 100m backed by strong tailwinds of 32 km/h– winds that are way beyond conditions that would be considered legitimate.

The legal limit for sprint events (200m or shorter) is 2 m/s (7 km/h).

Gatlin won the silver medal in the 100m at the world championships in 2015 with many predicting the American to upset Bolt for the win. The Jamaican sprint legend prevailed by 0.01 seconds.

Results for the 100m from the world championships in 2015.
Results for the 100m from the world championships in 2015.

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