WATCH: World Humanoid Robot Games open in Beijing

A Chinese humanoid robot named Tiangong Ultra has made headlines after sprinting 100 metres in 9.39 seconds, a feat that eclipses Usain Bolt’s men’s world record of 9.58 seconds, according to Reuters. Manufactured by the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, Tiangong Ultra claimed victory in the preliminary heat of the second edition of the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, leaving its rival robot Lightning behind by a whisker.

Lightning, built by smartphone giant Honor, crossed the finish line 0.06 seconds later, clocking 9.47 seconds.

Both robots outpaced Bolt’s record set at the 2009 World Athletics Championships in Berlin. During preliminary tests, Lightning achieved a top speed of 14.5 metres per second, while Tiangong's performance was slightly slower, finishing the race with a stumble and even collapsing, requiring medical attention.

The results from this year’s event represent a significant leap forward from the inaugural games held last year, when Tiangong Ultra clocked 21.50 seconds for the 100 metres. Additionally, Tiangong made history by winning the world’s first humanoid half-marathon in Beijing in 2025. Meanwhile, Lightning secured the half-marathon title this year, finishing the 13.1-mile race in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, a pace faster than elite human runners.

The 100m sprint is just one of 51 events at the games, which also include football, dancing, and industrial-task challenges. The Chinese government has identified humanoid robots as a strategic emerging industry, foreseeing rapid advancements in AI and hardware driving their integration into manufacturing, logistics, and consumer sectors.

This strategic focus is reflected in investor enthusiasm, with shares of Unitree, a leading Chinese humanoid robot maker, soaring over fivefold following their debut on the Shanghai stock market this week, valuing the company at approximately $50 billion.

This year’s World Humanoid Robot Games, held at Beijing’s National Speed Skating Oval, saw participation from a record 2,056 robots representing 666 teams from 16 countries and six continents, a substantial increase from the 280 teams that took part last year.