Jesse Owens vs. Usain Bolt: Who Would Win in a Race?
TLDR Usain Bolt would likely win in a race against Jesse Owens due to his faster personal best time, better training conditions, and access to modern equipment. However, Jesse Owens faced significant obstacles and limitations in his career due to his race, which impacted his performance.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Jesse Owens and Usain Bolt are both world record holders in the men's 100 meter dash, and this episode will explore who would win in a race between them.
02:13
Jesse Owens' personal best in the 100 meters was 10.2 seconds, while Usain Bolt's personal best was 9.572 seconds, making Bolt significantly faster.
03:53
Jesse Owens faced significant obstacles and limitations in his training and career due to his race, including not receiving an athletic scholarship, having to work a part-time job to pay for school, and being unable to live on campus or travel with his team, while Usain Bolt has been able to focus solely on his athletic career and earn money through endorsements from the start.
05:25
Usain Bolt had the advantage of professional coaches, state-of-the-art equipment, and modern synthetic tracks, while Jesse Owens had to train at a lower level, run on cinder tracks, and face social obstacles.
06:57
Jesse Owens didn't use starting blocks and had to dig holes in the cinder track for his feet, which could add up to two-tenths of a second to his time, while Usain Bolt has access to state-of-the-art running shoes.
08:29
Jesse Owens' time could have been at least a full tenth of a second faster if it was measured more accurately, and other factors such as electronic timing and synchronized starting guns also contribute to faster times in modern races.
10:05
Jesse Owens would have been one of the fastest men in history if he had modern conditions, potentially running a sub 9.7 in the 100 meters, but Usain Bolt's unique physical attributes would still give him the edge in a race.