Last Updated on November 16, 2012 by Jimson Lee
My good friend Clay Parker asked me if a runner’s top speed can be extrapolated to a 100 meter time. It’s a good question as we constantly have endless running calculators or converters.
Usain Bolt and Tyson Gay recorded 0.805 second splits for 10 meters (based on 20 meters) which calculates to 44.72 kph or 27.794 mph.
In the past, I recorded a 3.8 40 meter segment on a flying 100m test. This equates to 0.95 seconds per 10 meters or roughly 37.89 kph. (My ego just soared 10 feet as I would get a moving violation ticket for speeding in a school zone, which is 30 kph in Canada)
While Usain Bolt’s PB is 9.58, mine was 10.92. His 44.72 kph vs. my wimpy 37.89 kph. Luckily for me, I do not earn my living running. At least not directly. (NOTE to kids: stay in school)
So is top end speed a good measure for 100 meter performance?
If so, read on…
At the 2010 World Cup, the Castrol Index used the latest FIFA tracking technology to capture data on each player which was then analyzed by a team of Castrol Performance Analysts.
Here are some stats provided from www.thebesteleven.com website:
What do you think Javier Hernandez of Mexico’s top speed of 32.15 kph will translate over 100 meters?
Surely he can break 12 seconds, if I can break 11 sec and run 37 kph? (okay, I will stop calling you Shirley)
The problem with this extrapolation (if you want to call it that) is a beginner sprinter will reach peak velocity around 35m whereas elite will reach it at 60m. Tyson and Usain are exceptions and can reach their top speed at 65-70m. Intermediate sprinters like myself may reach it “only” at 45m.
Illustration courtesy of Derek Hansen of Running Mechanics.
Training is one factor is lessening your deceleration. In Maurice Green’s perfect world, he would eliminate it.
I’ll need some advanced Calculus to figure out some data points in relation to top end speed and potential slow down which is a curve and not a straight line. Luckily, September is around the corner.
I think Cristiano Ronaldo must be around 11.00.
It would be really hard to say what these guys could run the 100m dash in. The 100 can just be a weird race, it shows when you compare it to a 60m. There are plenty of people who can run a mind blowing 60 but fade out come time for the 100. If I had to guess I would say most soccer players would fade faster than one of those 60m runners ever would.
Your side note about staying in school was funny I got a good laugh out of it.
Mr Jimson Lee, 0.805 was the split in the previous study in the race for Bolt(never for Gay).Later this 1.61 was in the second study 2 splits (0.81) (0.82) for 1.63.
0.81 is 44,4 km/h
If Gay had in the previous study 1.63 for those 20m, perhaps was mistake like Bolt, and was really 1.65(0.02 more like Bolt in his splits). That would be (0.82) (0.83)
0.82 is 43,9 km/h
Thanks
Gay’s fastest 20 meter split was in his wind-blown 2008 9.68 second run (1.62). In the 2009 World Championship, Bolt registered a 1.61 second segment and Gay a 1.63 second segment.
Regarding the soccer players, I can’t believe they are that slow. A 12 second 100 meter dash!? High school girls routinely better that standard. No wonder I have always loathed soccer. If the fastest players can’t even exceed 20 miles per hour, it would seem that the fastest men on the field would be the referees! I do know that international soccer referees have to meet certain “sprint” criteria in dashes up to 50 or 60 meters which would surely extrapolate to sub 12 second 100 meter dashes.
Andy Cano, Bolt had 1.61 and Gay 1.63 in the PREVIOUS study IAAF.
You can see in the STUDY B of IAAF(splits 10m) that in these 20m really were 1.63 for Bolt(0.81 and 0.82). So Gay perhaps was 1.65(splits for 10m for gay in that race i did not see it,only for Bolt and Powell for splits 10m)
Frank, I don’t know what your contention is. But, the figures I quoted are correct and are listed in the August 17, 2009 post on this site. In the 2009 World Championships, Bolt had a fastest 20 meter segment of 1.61 seconds and Gay’s fastest split was 1.63 seconds. We agree on that. The 1.62 second split I refer to was from a Tyson Gay race in 2008, where he ran a wind-aided 9.68 second 100 meter dash (4.1 meters per second wind).
Andy Cano my times are correc.
The 20 meter segment was only a study A of the race. Later was the study B for 10m.
There you can see the mistake because in these 1.61 are really 1.63(0.81 and 0.82)
You can see IN THIS SITE August 19, 2009 , the comparation 10m with 2008 beijing.
So Bolt is not 1,61 like in the pre study is 1.63 in the study B with 0.81 and 0.82.
This is the OFFICIAL study B for Bolt http://berlin.iaaf.org/mm/document/development/research/05/31/54/20090817073528_httppostedfile_analysis100mmenfinal_bolt_13666.pdf
There you can see that REALLY Bolt had 60-80m 1.63 not 1.61 like in the previous study.
@Andy Cano, the conditions these speeds were recorded under must be looked at. As they were taken at the World Cup we know they were on grass with the players wearing soccer/football cleats. I don’t know how much the differences in friction, and what would be gained running on synthetic tracks with spikes but I’m confident the players could all gain another 1-2mph putting them all into 21-22mph category, or nearing 10m/s (10m split in 1.00)….not world class but still pretty rapid.
To the comment about high school girls running less than 12 second 100 meters…You probably have the distance confusd with the 100 YARD dash. 12 seconds is pretty fast for most boys…not super track fast but athletic fast.
I dare say most schools have 1 or 2 girls at the most that can run sub 12 100 meters.
hello my friends i want try to breaking 100m record from 9.58 to 8.59 or 9.3 or 9.4 or 9.5 sertainly i can do it if i cannot do this work dead is better than donnot do it
maybe i am carzy