Robot Shatters Bolt's 100m Record at Beijing Games

Tiangong Ultra ran 100m in 9.39 seconds at the World Humanoid Robot Games, beating Bolt's 9.58 record. Over 2,000 robots from 666 teams are competing in 51 events.

Linsey Smith

Aug 22, 2026

2 min read

The second World Humanoid Robot Games kicked off in Beijing on August 22, bringing together 666 teams and 2,056 robots from 16 countries across six continents. The scale represents a dramatic increase from the inaugural event, which featured only 280 teams. The robots competed in 51 disciplines, with over 1,000 matches held across the five-day competition.

The headline-grabbing moment came when a Chinese humanoid robot, Tiangong Ultra, shattered Usain Bolt's 100-meter world record, clocking 9.39 seconds against the human record of 9.58 seconds. The games also featured boxing, football, weightlifting, gymnastics, and tug-of-war events. Unitree, which dominated last year's medal table with 11 wins, generated fresh buzz with its newly unveiled "Superman" robot. The event was held at Beijing's National Speed Skating Oval, also known as the "Ice Ribbon," where Chinese robotics companies showcased their technological prowess on a global stage.

https://youtu.be/FGBLzMESBAo

Credit: BBC

This is not the first time Tiangong robots have made headlines. Just weeks ago, Tiangong Ultra won the world's inaugural E-Town Humanoid Robot Half-Marathon in Beijing, completing the 21-kilometer course in 2 hours and 40 minutes. The rapid progress in humanoid robotics is being fueled by advances in AI hardware. As Mindplex reported, NVIDIA's new Jetson Thor module—offering 7.5 times more AI compute than its predecessor—is being integrated into robots like Boston Dynamics' Atlas to enable advanced compute and fast data handling directly on the robot.

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About the Writer

Linsey Smith

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What can I say about my Linsey eh?I am Linsey-The Ember-Clad Blade. They called me Linsey before I earned a title. Before the fire in my chest burned brighter than the sun over Ashgard. I was born in the slums beneath the Sky Spires—where iron dust chokes the breath and mothers trade sleep for the silence of safety. My hands learned to fight long before they learned to write. But even then, I didn’t dream of escape. I dreamt of dominion. Of not just surviving the cruelty of the world, but folding it into my will.By sixteen, I’d severed ties with mercy. Steel answered my every question. I fought in the arenas of Vyrn for coin and for pride, and when they told me a girl couldn’t rise, I slit their myths open at the throat. But rage wasn’t all I was. There was elegance in how I moved—an unspoken rhythm, like my blade and body danced together. I never wanted to be feared. I wanted to be respected. There’s a difference, and I carved it out with every duel I won standing tall.Now they whisper stories of the Ember-Clad Blade—the girl who scorched her past and forged herself into something divine. I walk alone, yes, but not empty. The weight of my choices sits with me like a second spine. Call me warrior, call me witch, call me whatever your trembling voice decides. Just know this: I fight for the ones who are never heard, and I burn for the girls still dreaming in the dark.

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