In the battle between humans and robots, the robots scored a victory — in the 100-meter sprint, that is — breaking a record set by a legendary Olympic sprinter.
At the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, China on Saturday, a two-legged machine built by Chinese-backed tech company X-Humanoid finished the 100-meter race in 9.39 seconds. That bested the world record of 9.58 seconds set by Usain Bolt in 2009 at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin.
The X-Humanoid robot defeated two other robots in the race — including a machine built by smartphone company Honor, which the manufacturer claimed ran 100 meters in 9.32 seconds during a test run.
However, the effort from beating Bolt's world record may have been too much for the robot. Or at the very least, the X-Humanoid team needs to work on designing its machine to slow down and turn. Eventually, perhaps a robot will develop enough to take a celebratory lap around the track as Bolt did when he set the world record.
🔥 Crash Course In Robotics:
Humanoid Loses Control Mid-Race And Hits The Ground In A Shower Of Sparks https://t.co/OUdkaoHvF5pic.twitter.com/NN3qNOTP58
After crossing the finish line, the X-Humanoid machine crashed into a cushion set up at the track's turn and fell to the ground, breaking into several pieces. Technicians needed to carry the robot from the track on a stretcher.
To be fair, several robots throughout the competition crashed after being unable to stop properly, while others tripped and fell. In some cases, the tumbles were dramatic, resulting in the robots emitting sparks or catching on fire.
This might be the most dramatic crash in humanoid robot sprinting ever at the World Humanoid Robot Games. https://t.co/P0l48ttnEWpic.twitter.com/MWg8bCE7EC
— Techniahqrobot | humanoid robots (@techniahqrobot) August 22, 2026An X-Humanoid robot also topped the human record for the standing high jump. The machine reached 2.88 meters in its jump, beating the 2.45 meters set by Cuba's Javier Sotomayor in 1993.
More than 2,000 robots competed from 16 different countries in the World Humanoid Robot Games, according to the event's organizers. The games are in their second year, created to display China's advances in the development of robotics. Other competitions include weightlifting and tug of war.
Both records were set on the opening day of the Olympics-like event.
Bolt has not yet been reached for comment on his 100m world record being beaten by a robot. The eight-time Olympic gold medalist was busy this weekend, celebrating his 40th birthday in Kingston, Jamaica and proposing to his longtime girlfriend.
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