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Tifo Sports asks what super spikes could have done for Bolt

Kaya Kaynak and illustrator Philippe Fenner examine the biomechanics, footwear and physiology behind an exceptionally stubborn sprint record.

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Tifo Sports by The Athletic Story of November 13, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? The channel's weekly summary: what went up this week, what is drawing views now, and where the channel stands among similar channels.

Will there ever be a human faster than Usain Bolt?

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0:39Two-legged running limits the time sprinters can spend applying force to the ground.
2:44Modern super shoes and spikes can help runners maintain speed for longer.
3:47Fraser-Pryce and Jacobs provide examples in the discussion of sprint improvements with super spikes.
4:33Bolt's height, stride length and fast-twitch muscle fibers help explain his exceptional performance.
6:03A study estimates Bolt could have run 9.42 seconds in super spikes, rather than reporting an actual performance.

The shoes are only part of it. Tifo Sports by The Athletic's most-watched new upload asks whether anyone will run faster than Usain Bolt, then considers a slightly different possibility: how much faster Bolt himself might have been with different equipment.

In "Will there ever be a human faster than Usain Bolt?", Kaya Kaynak explains the limits of running on two legs, with Philippe Fenner's illustrations making the mechanics visible. Sprinters can generate force against the ground, but spend much of each stride airborne. A detour through four-legged running brings in Sarah the Cheetah, an unusually well-qualified comparison animal.

The essay then turns to super spikes, Bolt's long stride and fast-twitch muscle fibers. Near the end, it cites a study estimating that modern spikes could have helped him run the distance in 9.42 seconds. That's a modeled possibility, not a time he actually ran. Viewers are discussing how footwear and track surfaces affect comparisons across eras; others have a less technical requirement for any successor: a name as fitting as Bolt.

The video has passed 114,000 views and is the channel's busiest upload right now. It anchors a three-upload week that also asks "What's the longest a human has held their breath?" and explains why some cricket players cut holes in their shoes: to relieve pressure on battered toes. Older upload "What's the fastest ball in sports?" remains another substantial source of daily viewing.

The channel added subscribers over the week, although daily views are running a little below their usual level. In its neighboring explainer group, Drop A Pin and Platypus Economics with Justin Wolfers had larger weekly view gains; Tifo's gain was the next largest. For this sports storyteller, a question about the limits of human speed supplied the week's main draw.

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What viewers say

Hopefully whoever breaks the record also has a really cool name. That's what matters most
@poiudndudbbdSee it on YouTube
I reckon it will take someone running it in a faster time than he did.
@HorizonOfHopeSee it on YouTube
Have you seen me run when being chased by a dog?
@PiracyAgreementSee it on YouTube

3 more comments

It would be a shame if the record gets broken due to shoe technology etc..
@ultrascreens5206See it on YouTube
So super fast twitch muscle fibres are basically compound v?
@dannyhawkings8469See it on YouTube
My muscles have no-twitch fibres ☹
@mbusomkhwanazi48See it on YouTube

Public comments from the video's page on YouTube