The Physics of the World's Fastest Man

cylonlover writes "The Honourable Usain Bolt (Order of Jamaica; Commander of the Order of Distinction) is often held out as the world's fastest man. The reigning Olympic champion in the 100-meter and 200-meter sprints as well as a member of the Olympic champion 4x100 meter relay team, Bolt is the first man to win six Olympic gold medals in sprinting, and is a five-time world champion. Long and lanky at 6 ft 5 in (2 m) tall, he towers above the (mostly) much shorter sprinters. How has he managed to come out on top for the past five years? A team of physicists from the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM) has analyzed Bolt's past performances in the 100-meter sprint to understand what makes a record-breaker."

Comments

worlds fastest women mad at him?

[peter303]

Nothing makes you run faster than fleeing.

need biochemists

[KernelMuncher]

To analyze why Bolt is the fastest man, instead of a team of physicists they should hire a team of biochemists. Who wants to bet Bolt is entirely clean of steroids ?

[ Note that Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson, two top Jamaican sprinters, both recently tested positive for banned stimulants. ]

Re:The true max human 100m time is probably higher

[Shetan]

IAAF Competition Rules, Rule 143

Shoes
2. Athletes may compete barefoot or with footwear on one or both feet.
The purpose of shoes for competition is to give protection and
stability to the feet and a firm grip on the ground. Such shoes,
however, must not be constructed so as to give an athlete any unfair
additional assistance, including by the incorporation of any
technology which will give the wearer any unfair advantage. A shoe
strap over the instep is permitted. All types of competition shoes must
be approved by IAAF.

Re:The true max human 100m time is probably higher

[arth1]

feet fingers

We call those toes. Well, my family does, at least.