Tyreek Hill, Usain Bolt take one step closer to potential race

A race between K.C. Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill and Olympic champion Usain Bolt could be a step closer to reality, with a potential massive wager adding some extra spice to the already enticing contest.

The idea of a race between the two has been floating around for some time. Appearing on the Pat McAfee Show in July, Bolt—an eight-time Olympic gold medal winner—said Hill had “no chance” in a race against him. Hill hit back the next day, claiming he’d beat the “old, washed up” Bolt over 40 yards.

The subject came back into the spotlight this week, with Bolt seeming to be open to the idea during an interview on The Dan Patrick Show, saying a race with Hill was “something that I’ve thought about”.

Tyreek Hill and Usain Bolt take potential race one step further.

Patrick went a step further, suggesting a huge wager for the showdown: Hill’s Super Bowl ring up against one of Bolt’s Olympic gold medals.

While Bolt didn’t commit to the race or the wager, he reacted positively to the suggestion. “That would be big … I don’t think he [Hill] is going to go for it,” Bolt said. “We should think about it, we should put some thought into that one.”

After the interview Hill cryptically posted on Twitter “I will be ready”, possibly referring to a showdown with Bolt.

Patrick also proposed a format, suggesting a race over 70 meters (77 yards), apparently a mid-point between the 40m race Hill wants and the 100m race Bolt would prefer.

So who would win if the two really do go head-to-head?

It’s a fascinating matchup. Bolt is the world record holder in the 100m (9.58 seconds) and 200m (19.19s), but the 34-year-old has been retired since 2017 while Hill is still in the prime of his career.

Hill himself was a track athlete back in high school, with a personal best in the 100m of 10.19s and in the 200m of 20.14s set in 2012. Hill’s time in in the 200m as a high schooler was so fast that it would have been good enough to finish in sixth place in the 200m final at the 2016 Rio Olympics—yet it would not have been fast enough to beat Bolt, who took part in that race.

Whether Hill is still able to replicate those track times from nine years ago is uncertain, but his explosive plays in the NFL are proof he is still lightning quick.

As far as distance is concerned, a shorter race would potentially favour the Chiefs superstar, with Bolt himself admitting he is not as well suited for shorter distances. “It’s because I’m tall … it takes me a while to get into my running … that’s why I struggle at shorter distances,” he said on the Dan Patrick Show.

There is data to back this up, too. During his world record 100m run, Bolt hit a top speed of 27.79mph, but he did so during the 60-80m stretch, well past the would-be finishing line in a 40-yard dash.

However, other evidence suggests Bolt would do just fine in a short race and would actually beat Hill over 40 yards. At Super Bowl LIII, Bolt ran the 40-yard dash in a time of 4.22 – tying the fastest-ever recorded time set by New York Giants wide receiver John Ross and beating Hill’s time of 4.29 that he set at West Alabama’s pro day in 2016.

Slightly worryingly for Hill, Bolt’s time at the Super Bowl was in 2019—two years after he’d already retired. On top of that, Bolt wasn’t exactly dressed to compete, setting his time in sweatpants and sneakers.

So how fast would Bolt run if he was going 100 percent? Well, analysis of Bolt’s world record 100m run by Morey Croson of Performance Lab of California suggests that at full tilt Bolt would have clocked 4.14s over 40 yards.

However that world record time was set back in 2009 and Bolt has now been retired for four years so, in theory, he would be slower than he was in in ’09 and at the Super Bowl. But even still, it is hard to write the 34-year-old off as totally past it.

Meanwhile, Hill has more than one potential showdown on his hands, having also exchanged banter with Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf.

Metcalf himself attempted to qualify for the 100m at the Tokyo Olympics, but missed out after running a respectable time of 10.36s.

Only time will tell if the epic Bolt-Hill showdown will actually take place. The wager of Super Bowl ring vs. Olympic gold medal might not hold up, but hopefully the world gets to see two of the fastest men on the planet go head-to-head.