{
  "id": 2580066,
  "title": "Chinese robot beats Usain Bolt’s 100m world record in test run",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/22/chinese-robot-beats-usain-bolts-100m-world-record-in-test-run-2580066",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-08-22T11:32:28.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "SABC News",
    "slug": "sabc-news",
    "url": "https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/chinese-robot-beats-usain-bolts-100m-world-record-in-test-run/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "China's state broadcaster announced on Saturday that a humanoid robot, named Lightning, developed by smartphone company Honor, completed a 100-meter sprint in 9.32 seconds. This performance shattered the human world record set by Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt at 9.58 seconds in 2009. During a pre-event test for the upcoming World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, Lightning hit a top speed of 14.5 meters per second.\n\nLightning's prowess extended beyond the track as it also won the 21km Beijing half marathon, finishing in 50 minutes and 26 seconds. This time outpaced the elite men's human world-record pace. The humanoid robot, standing at 169cm tall with 95cm legs during the half marathon, has since had its legs extended by 10cm to 105cm in preparation for the World Humanoid Robot Games.\n\nHeavily invested in humanoid robotics as a strategic emerging industry, China's government and private sector anticipate significant advancements in artificial intelligence and hardware to drive widespread adoption in manufacturing, logistics, and consumer applications.",
  "summary": "The robot, dubbed Lightning, reached a peak speed of 14.5m per second during a test.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 7,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "SABC News",
        "title": "Chinese robot beats Usain Bolt’s 100m world record in test run",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/22/chinese-robot-beats-usain-bolts-100m-world-record-in-test-run",
        "published": "2026-08-22T11:32:28.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Press Journal",
        "title": "Chinese Humanoid Robot Lightning Runs 100m In 9.32 Seconds, Surpassing Usain Bolt’s 9.58-Second World Record | VIDEO",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/22/chinese-humanoid-robot-lightning-runs-100m-in-9-32-seconds-surpassing",
        "published": "2026-08-22T11:57:13.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "DW News",
        "title": "Chinese robot beats Usain Bolt's 100m world record",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/22/chinese-robot-beats-usain-bolts-100m-world-record",
        "published": "2026-08-22T12:41:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Business Recorder",
        "title": "Chinese robot beats Usain Bolt's 100m world record in test run",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/22/chinese-robot-beats-usain-bolts-100m-world-record-in-test-run-2575621",
        "published": "2026-08-22T12:43:16.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "ABC News AU",
        "title": "'Lightning' the Chinese robot beats Usain Bolt's 100m world record",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/22/lightning-the-chinese-robot-beats-usain-bolts-100m-world-record",
        "published": "2026-08-22T13:38:16.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "BBC News",
        "title": "Watch: Moment robot attempts to beat Usain Bolt's 100m record",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/22/watch-moment-robot-attempts-to-beat-usain-bolts-100m-record",
        "published": "2026-08-22T14:10:05.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}