New Discovery Reveals that these Speedy Dinosaurs Could Give Usain Bolt a Run For His Money

Usain Bolt is widely regarded as the fastest man in the world. Notably, Bolt still holds the world record in the 100m and 200m races.

Recently, however, newly discovered footprints in Spain, belonging to meat-eating dinosaurs, reveal that they could’ve matched the speed of the Olympic legend.

Carnivorous dinosaurs could run almost as fast as Usain Bolt

Just recently, two trackways of Cretaceous Period fossilized footprints were discovered in Spain’s La Rioja region. Dating back to about 120 million years, the footprints belong to carnivorous dinosaurs.

These footprints show that the dinosaurs could run about 28 miles per hour. Notably, that is close to Olympic legend, Usain Bolt’s speed.

Pablo Navarro Lorbes, a paleontology doctoral student has revealed that the speed of these dinosaurs allowed them to chase their prey efficiently.

“Their capacity to run very quickly and their maneuvering abilities surely allowed them to chase prey very efficiently,” said Lorbes.

Newly unearthed footprints reveal that medium-sized carnivorous dinosaurs could run at about 28 miles per hour, roughly matching Usain Bolt. via @ReutersScience https://t.co/uMkwJCpjWa pic.twitter.com/TTbFo5EQGy

— RealClearScience (@RCScience) December 10, 2021

Usain Bolt’s record speed is 37.58 km/hr, while he also reached a record top speed of 44kms/hr. Bolt ran the 100m race in just 9.58 seconds, which is a record still unbeaten.

Notably, the dinosaurs are estimated to be about 7 feet, weighing around 440-660 pounds. Researchers have calculated the running speed of these dinosaurs based on the relationship between the animal’s hip and height. Even though potentially they could be really fast, there’s no comparing them to ‘Lightning Bolt.’

Can Bolt outrun a car?

Usain Bolt has an acceleration of between 8 m/s2 and 10m/s2. A car can record an initial acceleration of 10m/s2.  

This means that Bolt will have the initial lead because a car picks up its speed slowly. However, a swift shift of gears and the car will eventually outrun the legend.

LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 09: Usain Bolt of Jamaica celebrates after he wins gold during the Men’s 200m Final on Day 13 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on August 9, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

However, there are many other factors to consider, the primary being that Bolt is a human, despite his machine-like work rate. What are your thoughts about this? While humans are yet to match his speed, do you think dinosaurs would beat the fastest man in the world?

READ MORE: Olympic Legend Usain Bolt Proves He’s Faster Than NFL Star Tyreek Hill

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