Robot Sprinter Tiangong Runs 8.86-Second 100m, Shattering Usain Bolt's Record in Beijing
BEIJING — The Tiangong Ultra humanoid robot ran 100 metres in a verified 8.86 seconds at the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing on Tuesday, according to Reuters, lowering the 9.39-second mark it set at the event's opening and beating Usain Bolt's 9.58-second human world record from 2009 by more than seven-tenths of a second.
By Source Reporters Newsdesk
Thu, 27 August 2026 · 1 min read
BEIJING — The Tiangong Ultra humanoid robot ran 100 metres in a verified 8.86 seconds at the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing on Tuesday, according to Reuters, lowering the 9.39-second mark it set at the event's opening and beating Usain Bolt's 9.58-second human world record from 2009 by more than seven-tenths of a second.
The Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, which developed Tiangong Ultra, said the time came in the semifinal of the large-size robot division. The centre said its Tiangong robots have now beaten four human world records, including 38.15 seconds over 400m, 2:21.64 over 1,500m and a 2.88-metre high jump.
Tiangong finished the sprint by striking a thick mat beyond the finish line; a small fire appeared in its torso after the impact, Reuters reported. In the other semifinal, a robot disassembled mid-race. On Saturday's opening day, Tiangong overtook Honor's Lightning robot (9.47 seconds) to win.
More than 2,000 robots from 666 teams are competing across 51 events at the second edition of the games. Tiangong won last year's inaugural 100m in 21.50 seconds.
## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is the fastest 100m time recorded by a humanoid robot?
Tiangong Ultra ran 8.86 seconds at the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing on Tuesday, according to Reuters.
### Did a robot beat Usain Bolt's world record?
Yes. The 8.86-second robot run is more than seven-tenths of a second faster than Bolt's human world record of 9.58 seconds set in 2009.
### Who built the Tiangong robot?
The Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, whose backers include Baidu and Xiaomi's robotics unit, per Chinese corporate data provider Qichacha.
**Sources:** aljazeera.com
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