Chinese humanoid robot breaks Usain Bolt’s world record

A Chinese humanoid robot has run 100 metres faster than Usain Bolt's world record, clocking 9.39 seconds at the qualifying round of the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing on Saturday (August 22).

The robot, named Tiangong Ultra, was developed by the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Centre. Organisers said it initially fell behind but accelerated in the final stretch to overtake another humanoid robot, Lightning, developed by smartphone maker Honor. Lightning finished in 9.47 seconds.

Both robots recorded times faster than Bolt's 9.58-second world record, set at the 2009 World Athletics Championships in Berlin.

The robots' performance, however, differed sharply from that of human sprinters. Neither stopped cleanly after crossing the finish line. Tiangong Ultra lost control, veered off the track and eventually fell near the boundary, prompting spectators to move back for safety. Lightning also collapsed after finishing and had to be carried away on a stretcher by staff.

The performance marked a dramatic improvement from last year. Tiangong Ultra took 21.50 seconds to complete the 100 metres at the inaugural event in 2025. Chinese state media also reported that Lightning had previously clocked 9.32 seconds in a trial run this year.

Lightning has also emerged as the winner of this year's humanoid robot half-marathon, completing the 21.1-kilometre race in 50 minutes and 26 seconds. Its pace was faster than the average speed represented by the men's half-marathon world record.

While the robot times cannot be directly compared with human world records because of differences in running mechanics, the rapid improvement highlights the accelerating capabilities of humanoid robots in high-speed movement and athletic-style tasks.