Usain Bolt and the Science Of Sprinting

I ran across an attention grabbing headline to an article that said: "The world's fastest man doesn’t move his legs quicker than anyone else during a race." So I clicked on through and read bits of the article. It is indeed interesting. The gist of the article and study is this...

Speed, as it turns out, may be completely misunderstood. 

When Bolt established the current 100-meter world record in the 2009 world championships, running it in 9.58 seconds, he did so by moving his legs at virtually the same pace as his competitors. In fact, if you or I were to compete against Bolt, our legs would turn over at essentially the same rate as his. 

He went on to answer the question, "So if leg turnover is the same, how does one person run faster than another?"

[The scientist] discovered that speed is dependent upon two variables: The force with which one presses against the ground and how long one applies that force. 

You can read the full article here: Usain Bolt: Case Study In Science Of Sprinting 

I'm looking forward to watching Bolt try to wow the world again with his magnificent speed next year in London!