Who are the fastest people in the world's history? Top 10 ranked
Human beings do not have a body morphology that allows them to be as fast as some animals and machines. But though machines are to complement people's efforts, some humans can also be as fast in their capabilities. Accordingly, some of the fastest people have shown that humans can be as fast.
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The fastest people are professional sprinters who have spent much time practising and building on their strength and speed. Interestingly, they can run many miles per hour at the speed of light.
Who are the fastest sprinters in the world?
Many people have shown how fast they can be on their feet. So, when discussing the fastest people to make history, below are the top ten:
1. Usain Bolt
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- Full name: Usain Leo Bolt
- Date of birth: 21 August 1986
- Age: 36 years old (as of 2023)
- Place of birth: Sherwood Content, Trelawny Parish, Jamaica
- Fastest recorded speed: 9.58s/100m = 37.6 km/h (23.4 mph)
What is the speed of the fastest man on earth? Usain Bolt is the fastest human ever and achieved the fastest man record in Germany at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics in Berlin. He clocked the fastest human mph in average speed, a record of 23.4 mph in a 100m racing event, finishing at a record time of 9.58s. When converted to kilometres per hour, it equals 37.6 km/hr.
2. Yohan Blake
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- Full name: Yohan Blake
- Date of birth: 26 December 1989
- Age: 33 years old (as of 2023)
- Place of birth: Saint James Parish, Jamaica
- Fastest recorded speed: 9.69s/100m = 37.2 km/h (23.1 mph)
Who is the 2nd fastest person in the world? It is Jamaican sprinter Yohan Blake. Blake is an avid athlete interested in becoming a professional cricket player but was later advised to concentrate more on sprinting. His forte is in 100 metres and 200 metres sprinting, and his fastest was finishing a 100 metres race in 9.69 seconds at a sprinting event in Lausanne, Switzerland.
3. Tyson Gay
Source: UGC
- Full name: Tyson Gay
- Date of birth: 9 August 1982
- Age: 40 years old (as of 2023)
- Place of birth: Lexington, Kentucky, USA
- Fastest recorded speed: 9.69s/100m = 37.2 km/h (23.1 mph)
Among the fastest runners in history, Tyson Gay is one of the most respected sprinters, though he is not a Jamaican. He had the fastest non-winning time of 9.71 seconds in 100 metres, and he is tied with Yohan Blake for completing a 100-metre sprint in 9.69 seconds. His sprinting traits can be attributed to his mother and grandmother, who were also great athletes during her high school days and at Eastern Kentucky University, respectively.
4. Asafa Powell
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- Full name: Asafa Powell
- Date of birth: 23 November 1982
- Age: 40 years old (as of 2023)
- Place of birth: Spanish Town, Saint Catherine Parish, Jamaica
- Fastest recorded speed: 9.72s/100m = 37.04 km/h (23.01 mph)
Asafa Powell was born in Jamaica in a Christian home where all his siblings showed a propensity for being great sprinters. Eventually, as the youngest among his brothers, he became the fastest among them and made his country proud by representing them and setting records as the fastest man twice in 2005 and 2006 with a record of 9.77 seconds and 9.74 seconds, respectively in the 100-metre track event.
5. Justin Gatlin
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- Full name: Justin Alexander Gatlin
- Date of birth: 10 February 1982
- Age: 40 years old (as of 2023)
- Place of birth: New York City, New York, United States of America
- Fastest recorded speed: 9.74 s /100m = 36.96 km/h (22.97 mph)
The fifth fastest man on earth is Justin Gatlin. He started as an athlete in high school when he played American football. When he switched to track events, he achieved his personal best in Doha 2015 in a 100-metre sprint with a time of 9.74 seconds.
Unfortunately, his professional sprinting career ended abruptly in 2006 when he tested positive for doping substances that contained testosterone and was handed a four-year ban. He returned to the track in 2010 and had a successful run in his early 30s. At the World Athletics Championships in 2019, he became the oldest sprinter to win a medal.
6. Christian Coleman
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- Full name: Christian Coleman
- Date of birth: 6 March 1996
- Age: 26 years old (as of 2023)
- Place of birth: Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
- Fastest recorded speed: 9.76s/100m = 36.89 km/h (22.92 mph)
Christian Coleman is an American-born professional track and field sprinter. His record stands at 9.76 seconds for a 100-metre track event. He is the sixth fastest sprinter in history, winning two gold medals at the World Championships in Athletics in 2019. He also holds the record for world indoor track events for 60 metres with a record time of 6.34 seconds.
7. Nesta Carter
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- Full name: Nester Carter
- Date of birth: 11 October 1985
- Age: 37 years old (as of 2023)
- Place of birth: Banana Ground, Clarendon Parish, Jamaica
- Fastest recorded speed: 9.78s/100m = 36.81 km/h (22.87 mph)
Nester Carter specialised in the 100-metre track event and was successful as part of the team for the Jamaican 4 x 100-metre relay event. He set successive records at the 2011 edition of the World Championship and the 2012 edition of the London Olympics. In 2017, Carter was sanctioned for doping at the 2008 Olympic Games, and he, along with his teammates, lost their gold medals for the 4 x 400-metre relay event.
8. Maurice Greene
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- Full name: Maurice Greene
- Date of birth: 23 July 1974
- Age: 48 years old (as of 2023)
- Place of birth: Kansas City, Kansas, USA
- Fastest recorded speed: 9.79s/100m = 36.77 km/h (22.85 mph)
Maurice Greene competed in the 60 metres, 100 metres and 200 metres track events. He is a former 100-metre world record holder with an average time of 9.79 seconds. His career elevated him to a television personality and an ambassador for IAAF. In the 2012-2013 session, he volunteered as a track coach at the University of California, Los Angeles.
9. Steve Mullings
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- Full name: Steve Mullings
- Date of birth: 28 November 1982
- Age: 40 years old (as of 2023)
- Place of birth: Saint Elizabeth Parish, Jamaica
- Fastest recorded speed: 9.80s/100m = 36.73 km/h (22.83 mph)
Steven Mullings is another Jamaican on the list of the top fastest people on their feet on the planet. He specialised in the 100-metre and 200-metre track events. Unfortunately, his career ended in 2011 after he was given a lifetime ban for doping substances. His personal best is 9.8 seconds in a 100-metre track event.
10. Richard Thompson
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- Full name: Richard Thompson
- Date of birth: 7 June 1985
- Age: 37 years old (as of 2023)
- Place of birth: Cascade, Diego Martin Region, Trinidad & Tobago
- Fastest recorded speed: 9.82s/100m = 36.66 km/h (22.78 mph)
Richard Thompson fondly referred to as Torpedo, is a sprinter from Trinidad and Tobago. His best of 9.82 seconds which he achieved in 2014, became one of the top ten fastest a human can run in history. After Nesta Carter was sanctioned for doping in 2017, he and his teammates from Trinidad were retroactively awarded a gold medal for the 2008 Olympic Games.
Jamaicans took the lead and occupied most spots in the list of the ten fastest people on earth. As evident from the list above, the fastest human beings are those involved in track and field events, especially sprinters. Also, the fastest record was set in 2009 by Usain Bolt, and to date, no one has managed to set a new record.
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