"And like people, some are better athletes than others and keener for the chase." "They have moods like the rest of us," Hilker said. Cheetahs may be the fastest land animals on Earth, with acceleration rivaling that of a Lamborghini, but they're individuals too. Cheetahs Even Faster in the Wild?įor the technicians, handlers, and photographers, on the other hand, the days were long and hot and challenging. But did you know their tails play a crucial role in hunting? Check out this and other fun facts about cheetahs. You may already know that cheetahs are the world's fastest land animal. (National Geographic News is a division of the Society.) dollars for conservation, and National Geographic magazine's coverage of the sprint was supported by National Geographic Society's Big Cats Initiative. The demonstrations-among other outreach programs-are not only good for the individual cats, who get much-needed exercise, but good for the species as well: Over the years the zoo's track-star cheetahs have helped raise over a million U.S. The cheetahs are used to long sprints, regularly running for zoo crowds eager to witness one of nature's most adrenaline-charged spectacles. For the cats it seemed to be a game, bolting out of the back of one of the zoo's vans and chasing fluffy toy dogs as they were pulled across a meadow on a high-speed cord. "I've never seen anything alive run that fast." Cheetah Summer Gamesĭuring the photo shoot, five cheetahs each completed several sprints a day. "She looked like a polka-dotted missile," added National Geographic photo editor Kim Hubbard. (See "Super Animals: Fast Fliers, Heavy Lifters, and High Jumpers.")Ī high-speed camera captures the cheetah's two-second sprint in slow motion, revealing every stride. I always knew she could run under six seconds, but to see it happen like this is wonderful." "Nobody can run like Sarah," Hilker said. Sarah's June 20 sprint is the fastest timed 100 meters ever run by anything on the planet, the officials said-though it was no suprise to Cathryn Hilker, founder of the Cincinnati Zoo's Cat Ambassador Program, who helped raise Sarah from a cub. The magazine photographed Sarah and other zoo cheetahs for a project to be featured in its November issue, which will include unprecedented high-speed pictures. On a USA Track & Field-certified course established by the Cincinnati Zoo, the 11-year-old cheetah was radar-timed at up to 61 miles (98 kilometers) an hour, according to a Thursday announcement by zoo officials and National Geographic magazine.
He retired after the 2017 World Championships without reaching that mark, but his 100-meter world record endures.Sarah the cheetah has shattered the world record for the standing 100-meter dash, clocking a time of 5.95 seconds-making Olympian Usain Bolt's world record of 9.58 seconds look positively stodgy by comparison. As an exuberant Bolt continued running along the curve of the track, thumping his chest and receiving adulation from the crowd, his official time was announced.Īfterward, Bolt said he could run even faster, perhaps even 9.4. Even as Gay ran the race of his life, finishing in 9.71 seconds, Bolt pulled away from him, winning by more than a meter. On Gay’s other side was Bolt’s countryman, Asafa Powell-together, they were the three fastest men in the world.Īlthough his starts were considered a weakness, Bolt started strongly and got better over the course of the sprint. After sailing through the preliminary heats, Bolt lined up for the 100-meter final alongside Tyson Gay, an American sprinter considered his main challenger at the time. It happened the next year, in the same stadium where trailblazing sprinter Jesse Owens had covered himself in glory at the 1936 Olympics. Soon, many speculated, Bolt could shatter his own world record.
#FASTEST 100 METER DASH FULL#
Bolt's stunning speed and laid-back, playful personality made him an international celebrity in the wake of his Olympic gold, but observers noted that he had not finished his race in Beijing at full speed. He becomes the first to run the event in less than 9.6 seconds.īolt’s time of 9.69 at the 2008 Beijing Olympics was not only a world record, but also the first time the 100-meter dash had been run in under 9.7 seconds. Then the Jamaican, already the fastest man in the world, shatters his own world record in the 100-meter dash, winning the event in 9.58 seconds. On August 16, 2009, under the lights of Berlin’s Olympic Stadium at the World Championships, 22-year-old Usain Bolt strikes a lightning-bolt pose and grins before taking his mark.
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