Usain Bolt rips through time, destroys 116 years’ worth of Olympians

Usain Bolt’s got everyone thinking his speed on an equivalent level to the Flash, but could he really break the time barrier?

Okay, probably not even the real-life Fastest Man Alive is quite ready to shred the laws of physics, but some folks over at the New York Times have given us the next best thing, bringing together 85 medalists in the 100 meters from Olympics dating back to 1896. In an “interactive” display, the NYT shows us – all things considered equal and with no calculations made for, say, Archie Hahn of 1912 training with modern technology – by how much Bolt would have kicked butt against the likes of Jessie Owens, Carl Lewis and Harrison Dillard.

(Jim Thorpe’s efforts of 1912 are, in the worst tradition of official Olympicdom, not included.)

And again BuckBokai wonders: When will the ultimate fastest-ever time be set? Surely the physics of the human body have limits; on the other hand, Bolt’s doing the best in this Olympics to convince us it ain’t so…

• Recommend on Facebook
• Tweet about it
• Tell a friend
• Print for later