A former athlete may have invented the downfall of Usain Bolt’s status as the fastest man of all time.
Bolt set the world record in the men’s 100-metre with a blistering time of 9.58 seconds at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin.
Bolt has ran the fastest, second-fastest and third-fastest 100m times in historyGettyIn fact, the Jamaican is the owner of the second and third-fastest 100m times, such was his dominance in the event during his prime years on the track.
He remains the only human to have ran below 9.60s, but that could all be about to change.
That’s thanks to UK-based technology company Feldspar Sport, which was founded by Hong Kong native Alvina Chen, as they have invented a new high-performance running track which could lead to absurd speeds.
In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Chen pointed out a key reason behind the invention was the fact the track surface had largely been overlooked amid the modernisation of running equipment.
“There have been a lot of evolutions in running shoes, training methods and nutrition,” Chen said.
“But the current rubber synthetic track was introduced in the 1968 Olympics, so no-one has ever thought of changing the track surface in almost 60 years.
“With our track, we anticipate that it will be 20 per cent faster than the Paris Olympics track, depending on athlete ability and external conditions.
“We have the world’s fastest running surface.”
It’s why Chen has ‘strong reasons’ to believe a remarkable sub-nine time ‘is possible’.
The track is yet to be ratified by World Athletics for usage and only a 20m version exists, although Chen hopes to extend it to 100m this summer.
Feldspar - YouTubeFeldspar’s invention could change the athletics world forever[/caption]As for how groundbreaking speeds would come about, that is down to an innovative surface.
While traditional running tracks has a top surface of rubber, Feldspar’s invention comprises of a rubber and composite top surface.
The hybrid surface would result in an energy loss of less than 10 per cent, a marked difference to the energy loss of approximately 30 per cent on the standard rubber track surfaces.
Chen explained that the rubber and composite top surface would ‘act like a spring’.
“Increasing track compliance, track energy return and altering the direction of energy return are three ways to improve the speed of a track,” Chen said.
“The cantilever design in the track and multilayered structures that act like a spring create more bounce when athletes’ feet hit the track.
Could Bolt be tempted to come out of retirement and produce a faster time?AFP“The angled cantilever system also converts downward force from vertical to horizontal momentum, which is very important as athletes need horizontal energy to accelerate and maintain top speed.”
Another key benefit of Feldspar’s innovative track is that it is littered with sensors to provide real-time information.
Data such as stride length and acceleration rate are among the key analytics that can be relayed instantly to coaches.
Chen also pointed out the data could be leveraged by broadcasters to improve the viewing experience for fans watching at home.
Given the fastest time since the start of the decade is 9.76, which was ran by Trayvon Bromwell and Fred Kerley in 2021 and 2022 respectively, Bolt can rest easy knowing his record is relatively safe.
But should Feldspar’s running surface be given the green light by World Athletics and become widely used, it may be only a matter of time before he is dethroned once and for all.
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