As records are meant to be broken how fast do you think it’s possible for a human to run?

100m in 3.50

Is anyone closing the gap?

This was an ESPN article written in 2016, seven years after Bolt's 9.58

Australian physiologist and sports scientist Jeremy Richmond says there are a number of new techniques sprinters are employing in an attempt to run even faster. In fact, he is confident the 100-meter record can be lowered below 9.3 seconds, possibly by the 2020 Tokyo Games.

"Research suggests that if a sprinter is 10 percent taller, then he would have a 10 percent shorter ground contact time, which would allow him to run 10 percent faster," Richmond said. "However, the limiting factor with a taller sprinter is the energy it takes to bring the legs forward because of the longer limbs."

Despite Richmond's confidence that we will see faster times, limits exist.

"Without a doubt [the world record] can still get lower," he said. "If we can get the tallest sprinters to strengthen their hip flexors and the shorter sprinters to contract their muscles faster, then we should be able to see times around 9.27 seconds.

"It's certainly not possible for Rio, but maybe by Tokyo. Having said that, I doubt we'd really get past 9.2, because the loading involved at those speeds would force us to have super heavy bones, but then of course the weight becomes a negative factor."

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how fast do you think it’s possible for a human to run?

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27.33 MPH

Something not being factored in here is shoe tech.

Look at how the distance world has been flipped on its head the last 6 or so years from the advancement of shoe technology. Sprints haven’t seen the same advancement but who’s to say there’s not some change in technology there to further advance it?

If things stay the same I wouldn’t be surprised to see someone flirt with 9.3. Bolt, for as good as he was, was pretty shite out of the blocks. Since it’s already been proven someone can be as fast as he was, if someone else comes along that gifted that’s actually good at coming out of the blocks there’s the records.

You know there’s nothing about bolt that really screams drug use to me…

I get the iaaf had motive to keep any potential dirty tests from the public given how big of a hit that would’ve been for the sport but there’s just not much there that makes me thing he was dirty. His times never had any drastic improvements and his body didn’t really show signs of it, imo. I know there’s EPO’s that don’t have the same response but still. I think it’s hard to say with even 50% certainty that he was dirty.

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I'm 50/50 on if Bolt was clean.

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It feels safe to assume they’re all on PEDs.

9.58 has to be close. But we’ll surely get another tall, long freak athlete in the next 40 years who can possibly knock a tenth of a second off it.

I also have no clue.

I’d say the fastest I ever ran was when I accidentally stirred up a wasp nest….

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…?

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Go rewatch Bolt’s 9.58 WR run. He lets up at the end LINK