An Honor Lightning humanoid robot runs after crossing the finish line during the second Beijing E-Town Half Marathon and Humanoid Robot Half Marathon in Beijing, China, April 19, 2026 REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov A humanoid robot, developed by Chinese smartphone maker Honor, ran 100 meters in 9.32 seconds, 26 seconds shy of the world athletics record held by Jamaican Usain Bolt, the broadcaster reported Chinese state-owned company this Saturday (22). The robot, nicknamed Lightning, reached a top speed of 14.5 meters per second during a preparatory test event for the second edition of the World Humanoid Robot Games. The performance surpassed the men's 100-meter world record of 9.58 seconds, set by Bolt at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin in 2009. Lightning also won the 21km Beijing half marathon in April, with a time of 50 minutes and 26 seconds, faster than the elite men's world record.
Chinese robot beats Usain Bolt's world record in 100 meters in test
An Honor Lightning humanoid robot runs after crossing the finish line during the second Beijing E-Town Half Marathon and Humanoid Robot Half Marathon in Beijing, China, April 19, 2026 REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov A humanoid robot, developed by...
The performance surpassed the men's 100-meter world record of 9.58 seconds, set by Bolt at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin in 2009. Lightning also won the 21km Beijing half marathon in April, with a time of 50 minutes and 26 seconds, faster than the elite men's world record.
- The robot was 169 cm tall and had 95 cm legs at the half marathon.
- Researchers have since lengthened its legs by 10 cm to 1.05 meters ahead of the World Humanoid Robot Games, China Central Television reported.
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The robot was 169 cm tall and had 95 cm legs at the half marathon. Researchers have since lengthened its legs by 10 cm to 1.05 meters ahead of the World Humanoid Robot Games, China Central Television reported. China has been promoting humanoid robots as a strategic emerging industry, with policymakers and companies betting that advances in AI and hardware will accelerate their deployment in manufacturing, logistics and consumer applications.