Kylian Mbappé’s misleading 1-second difference with Usain Bolt

The BBC shared a tweet that Kylian Mbappé (25) has an estimated speed of 10.9 seconds over 100 metres which would make him just over a second slower than Usain Bolt’s record of 9.58 seconds. 

This is a stat that while sounding impressive means very little when you actually begin to break it down. The first point is that this is an estimate made through watching game footage which creates some immediate inaccuracies. 

The timekeeping in games is nowhere near as precise as in recording the 100-metre sprint because football doesn’t need that level of precision. Milliseconds make all the difference in athletics, whilst they mean nothing in football and so are not measured outside of the referee’s discretion. 

Mbappé is fast (as he proved last night when he broke through the Real Sociedad defence) but the only way to find out how quick he is would be for him to run the 100-metre sprint. 

The second point is that a second seems from the outside like not a very significant amount of time, but in the final where Bolt broke the record (a record that he had set) every single other racer clocked a faster time than Mbappé supposedly can. 

A second gives the impression of not much difference, but in reality, that’s why these feats from athletes who dedicate their entire lives to the need for speed are so impressive. A fraction to the layman is a chasm to the professional. It separates an exceptionally quick athlete in football from a professional dedicated to their craft. 

GFFN | Nick Hartland