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A humanoid robot called Tiangong Ultra ran 100 metres in 9.39 seconds during a preliminary heat at the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, according to Reuters. The time was faster than Usain Bolt’s 9.58-second men’s human world record, although it does not replace that athletics record: the performance took place in a robot competition, not a World Athletics event.

The result is still a striking benchmark for legged robotics. It shows how quickly researchers are improving balance, control and speed in machines that have to run upright on two legs.

What happened in Beijing

Reuters reported that Tiangong Ultra, developed by the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, won its heat at the opening of the games. Honor’s robot, Lightning, finished second in 9.47 seconds after leading early in the race.

The event was held at Beijing’s National Speed Skating Oval. Reuters said the games brought together 2,056 robots from 666 teams across 51 events, ranging from sport to industrial and household tasks.

Why the comparison with Usain Bolt needs context

It is fair to say that the robot recorded a faster time than Bolt’s 9.58 seconds. It is not accurate to say that a robot now holds the official human 100-metre world record. Human sprint records are governed by athletics rules, eligibility standards and competition conditions that do not apply to a robot event.

The more useful comparison is technological. Tiangong Ultra had won the same 100-metre event at the inaugural games a year earlier in 21.50 seconds, Reuters reported. Reducing that time to 9.39 seconds shows a rapid improvement in the specific competition setup, even if it should not be treated as a direct measure of human athletic performance.

What the result says about humanoid robotics

Fast walking and running are difficult for humanoid robots because every step requires the machine to remain balanced while adapting to momentum, ground contact and small changes in position. A fall or a late correction can quickly end a race.

The Beijing result does not mean a general-purpose robot is ready to match a human in every physical setting. It does show that teams can now build robots capable of far faster, more controlled movement than was possible in the event’s first year. The next question is whether those gains carry over to uneven surfaces, longer tasks and real workplace environments.

Sources

• Reuters — Chinese robots beat Usain Bolt’s 100m world record at Beijing games
• BBC — Watch: Moment humanoid robot beats Usain Bolt’s 100m record

Last checked: August 25, 2026. This article distinguishes a robot-event result from the official human athletics record. For a correction or source question, contact contact.globalledger@gmail.com.