The fastest person in the world has incredible stamina and speed. These abilities are vital in highly competitive and intense sprinting events. The athlete must cover the shortest possible distance at the most incredible pace to break the world's record. Discover the fastest person in the world and his top speed below.
Source: UGC
The fastest runners in the world usually delight fans by winning several medals in each international competition. This article lists the top 10 fastest people in history based on their top speeds in 100-metre and 200-metre sprint races.
Who are the top 10 fastest runners in the world?
Historical statistics in short sprint races reveal that the world's fastest runners are mostly African-Americans and Jamaicans. Below is a list of the top 10 fastest people in 2023 and the best speeds in the 100-meter dash races.
10. Richard Thompson - 9.82 seconds (100m dash)
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Richard "Torpedo" Thompson
- Born: 7 June 1985
- Age: 37 years (as of February 2023)
- Birthplace: Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago
- Nationality: Trinidadian
- Height: 188 cm
- Weight: 80 kg
- Event(s): 60 meters, 100 metres, 200 metres
- Personal best: 9.82 s (100m in Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, in 2014) and 20.18 s (200m in Fayetteville, United States, in 2008)
Track & field athlete, Richard Thompson, is a sprinter specializing in 100 meters. He catapulted to popularity after coming second to Usain Bolt at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and winning a bronze medal. In 2014, Thompson was the eighth fastest sprinter in Port of Spain. His personal best of 9.82 seconds in June 2014 is among the top ten fastest of all time and a national record. Richard holds the record of the fourth fastest time by a Trinidad and Tobago athlete in the 200 meters races.
9. Steve Mullings - 9.80 seconds (100m dash)
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Steve Mullings
- Born: 28 November 1982
- Age: 40 years (as of February 2023)
- Birthplace: St. Elizabeth Parish, Jamaica
- Nationality: Jamaican
- Height: 176 cm
- Weight: 67 kg
- Event(s): 60 metres, 100 metres, 200 metres
- Personal best: 9.80 s (100m in Eugene, Oregon, in 2011) and 19.98 s (200m in Berlin in 2009)
Jamaican former sprint athlete Steve Mullings also makes this list of the world's fastest runners. He specializes in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes. Steve raced the 100 meters in 9.8 seconds, placing him among the world's top ten fastest runners. In 2011, he got a lifetime ban for doping.
8. Maurice Greene - 9.79 seconds (100m dash)
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Maurice Greene
- Born: 23 July 1974
- Age: 48 years (as of February 2023)
- Birthplace: Kansas City, Kansas, United States
- Nationality: American
- Height: 176 cm
- Weight: 82 kg
- Event(s): 50 meters, 60 meters, 100 metres, 200 metres
- Personal best: 9.79 s (100m in Athens, Greece, in 1999) and 19.86 s (200m in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1997)
The former American track & field athlete, Maurice Greene, has won five Olympic medals, two of which are gold. He held the record for six years until 2005. Greene was the fastest sprinter five times in his early career, collecting five Olympic gold medals and setting the world record for the 100 meters at the time, with a run of 9.79 seconds.
7. Nesta Carter - 9.78 seconds (100m dash)
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Nesta Carter OD
- Born: 11 October 1985
- Age: 37 years (as of February 2023)
- Birthplace: Manchester Parish, Jamaica
- Nationality: Jamaican
- Height: 173 cm
- Weight: 78 kg
- Event(s): 100 metres, 200 metres
- Personal best: 9.78 s (100m in Rieti, Italy, in 2010) and 20.25 s (200 m in Kingston, Jamaica, in 2011)
Former Jamaican sprinter Nesta Carter participated in the 100-meter dash. He has won gold medals and set sprinting records. He once ran the fastest time of 9.78 seconds in the 100 meters. In 2013, Carter finished third in Moscow's individual 100m world championships. In the United States, Nesta is one of the most well-known athletes.
6. Christian Coleman - 9.76 seconds (100m dash)
Source: Instagram
- Full name: Christian Coleman
- Born: 6 March 1996
- Age: 26 years (as of February 2023)
- Birthplace: Atlanta, Georgia, United States
- Nationality: American
- Height: 175 cm
- Weight: 72 kg
- Event(s): 100 metres, 200 metres
- Personal best: 9.76 s (100m in Doha, Qatar, in 2019) and 19.85 s (200 m in Lexington, Kentucky, USA, in 2017)
Sprinter Coleman is among the fastest people in the USA. He is the world champion in the 100m. At the 2017 World Athletics Championships, Christian Coleman won two gold medals. He also runs a 4×100-metre relay, 4×200-meter relay, 60-meter dash, and 40-yard dash races.
5. Justin Gatlin - 9.74 seconds (100m dash)
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Justin Alexander Gatlin
- Born: 10 February 1982
- Age: 40 years (as of February 2023)
- Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, United States
- Nationality: American
- Height: 185 cm
- Weight: 80 kg
- Event(s): 60 metres, 100 metres, 200 metres
- Personal best: 9.74 s (100m in Doha, Qatar, in 2015) and 19.71 s (200m in Eugene, Oregon, USA, in 2015)
Gatlin is one of the top ten high-speed runners globally, with a world record of 9.74 seconds in the 100m. He won the Olympic 100m title in 2004 and was the world champion in both 2015 and 2017. Justin Gatlin is also the 2005 World Champion in 200 m, and the 2019 World Champion in the 4 x 100m relay.
4. Asafa Powell - 9.72 seconds (100m dash)
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Asafa Powell, CD
- Born: 23 November 1982
- Age: 40 years (as of February 2023)
- Birthplace: Linstead, Jamaica
- Nationality: Jamaican
- Height: 191 cm
- Weight: 87 kg
- Event(s): 100 metres, 200 metres
- Personal best: 9.72 s (100m in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 2008) and 19.90 s (200m in Kingston, Jamaica, in 2006)
The retired Jamaican sprinter, Asafa Powell, is also on the list of speedy runners. He had a history of setting the 100m world record twice, 9.77 seconds in June 2005 and 9.74 seconds in May 2008. In September 2008, Powell set a personal best record of 9.72 s in the 100-metre dash race in Lausanne, Switzerland.
3. Yohan Blake - 9.69 seconds (100m dash)
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Yohan Blake
- Born: 26 December 1989
- Age: 33 years (as of February 2023)
- Birthplace: St. James Parish, Jamaica
- Nationality: Jamaican
- Height: 180 cm
- Weight: 80 kg
- Event(s): 100 metres, 200 metres
- Personal best: 9.69 s (100m in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 2012) and 19.26 s (200 m in Brussels, Belgium, in 2011)
Jamaican sprinter Yohan Blake won gold in the 100 x 4 relay event at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games. As a result, fans nicknamed him "The Beast." During the 2011 World Athletics Championships, he won gold in the 100-metre dash as the youngest 100m world champion ever. Blake has bagged 14 gold, four silver, and three bronze medals in his international competitions.
2. Tyson Gay - 9.69 seconds (100m dash)
Source: Facebook
- Full name: Tyson Gay
- Born: 9 August 1982
- Age: 40 years (as of February 2023)
- Birthplace: Lexington, Kentucky, United States
- Nationality: American
- Height: 180 cm
- Weight: 75 kg
- Event(s): 100 metres, 200 metres
- Personal best: 9.69 s (100m in Shanghai, China, in 2009) and 19.58 s (200 m in New York, USA, in 2009)
The retired American athlete is the second quickest sprinter globally after running a 200-meter race in 19.58 seconds during the 2009 Adidas Grand Prix competition. Completing the 100-meter dash in 9.69 seconds at the 2009 Shanghai Golden Grand Prix contest contributed to his rise to fame. Tyson Gay is also considered one of the fastest athletes in Men's 200 meters.
1. Usain Bolt - 9.58 seconds (100m dash)
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Usain St. Leo Bolt OJ CD OLY
- Born: 21 August 1986
- Age: 36 years (as of February 2023)
- Birthplace: Sherwood Content, Jamaica
- Nationality: Jamaican
- Height: 195 cm
- Weight: 94 kg
- Event(s): 100 metres, 200 metres
- Personal best: 9.58 s (100m in Berlin, Germany, in 2009) and 19.19 s (200m in Berlin, Germany, in 2009)
Jamaica sprinter Usain retired in 2017 with a long list of awards and records to his name. He mostly participated in the 100-meter race and the world regards him as the greatest 100m sprinter of all time. Fans nicknamed Usain Bolt the "Bullet". He is the fastest runner on the planet with a 9.58 seconds world record in the 100m sprint. It is the shortest 100m sprint time ever.
Who's the fastest person in the world?
Usain Bolt's top speed was 9.58 seconds (100m in Berlin, Germany, in 2009) and 19.19 seconds (200m in Berlin, Germany, in 2009).
Who is the fastest person alive in 2023?
Retired Jamaican athlete, Usain Bolt, is the fastest human in the world. In 2009, he set personal best records of 9.58 seconds in the 100-metre dash and 19.19 seconds in 200-metre dash races in Berlin, Germany.
Who are the top 5 fastest people?
- Usain Bolt
- Tyson Gay
- Justin Gatlin
- Asafa Powell
- Yohan Blake
Who is the fastest runner in the world?
The top 10 fastest runners in history are:
- Usain Bolt
- Tyson Gay
- Justin Gatlin
- Asafa Powell
- Yohan Blake
- Richard Thompson
- Steve Mullings
- Maurice Greene
- Nesta Carter
- Christian Coleman
Who are the fastest footballers in the world?
Soccer players are nowhere near as fast as Olympic track athletes. The top 10 fastest footballers are:
- Kyle Walker
- Karim Bellarabi
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
- Inaki Williams
- Erling Haaland
- Kylian Mbappe
- Marcus Rashford
- Adama Traore
- Achraf Hakimi
- Alphonso Davies
Who are the fastest NBA players in the world?
The fastest players in the league, according to NBA 2K22:
- De'Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings.
- Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies.
- Keon Johnson, Tennessee.
- Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz.
- RJ Hampton, Orlando Magic.
- Derrick White, San Antonio Spurs.
- Grant Riller, Charlotte Hornets.
- Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76er
Who are the fastest NFL players in the world?
- John Ross
- Kalon Barnes
- Tariq Woolen
- Marquise Goodwin
- Javelin Guidry
- Curtis Samuel
- Andy Isabella
- Parris Campbell
- Will Fuller V
- Raheem Mostert
Usain Bolt is the fastest person on earth in 2023. The retired Jamaican sprinter has topped the list of the world's fastest human for over two decades. He still holds the record of the fastest racer in the 100m race. Bolt broke many records and set new ones that are yet to be broken.
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