World’s Fastest Women

Humans are not exactly designed to run at high speed, but we do pretty well when faced with a threatening situation. Apart from that, the only other place where humans can be seen running at their max capacity is sports. It includes games like football, baseball, cricket, tennis, hockey, rugby, etc.

The best output is realized in track events, especially the 100 meter dash. You may have already heard about Usain Bolt, who currently holds the record of being the fastest human on the planet. Bolt’s record in 100 meters is 9.58 seconds, which is a speed of approximately 23.35 miles per hour (~ 37.57 kmph).

But do you know who is the fastest woman on earth? To better understand how women perform in this space, here’s a quick look at some of the fastest women athletes.

Christine Arron – A French athlete and sprinter, Christine Arron used to participate in various race formats including 100 m, 200 m and 4×100 m relay race. In 1998 European Championships, she completed 100 meters in 10.73 seconds to emerge as the fastest woman in Europe. She still holds that record. In the global tally, she is placed at sixth place.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce / Elaine Thompson – Both of these are Jamaican sprinters who participate in various race formats. They both are ranked at fourth place, as they have completed 100 meters in 10.70 seconds each. While Shelly achieved her best in 2012, Elaine did it in 2016. Both athletes have won several medals at Olympics as well as World Championships.

Marion Jones – A Belizean-American former athlete, Marion Jones achieved her personal best of 10.65 seconds in 100 meters in 1998. Jones comes across as a controversial figure, as she had admitted to the use of steroids at Olympic Games. Subsequently, she was stripped of her medals. However, she still holds other records that she achieved at World Championships.

Carmelita Jeter – A former American sprinter, Carmelita Jeter achieved her career best in 2009 at Diamond League Shanghai. She completed 100 meters in 10.64 seconds, which placed her as the second fastest woman on the planet. She has also won medals at Olympic Games and World Championships.

Florence Griffith Joyner – A former American track and field athlete, Florence Griffith Joyner currently holds the record of fastest woman on earth. Her record came in at the 1988 U.S. Olympic trials, where she completed 100 meters race in 10.49 seconds. Joyner also holds the record for fastest 200 meters race. Joyner was accused of taking steroids, but nothing has been proven till now.

As is evident from above, there’s not much difference between the world’s fastest man and woman. As compared to Usain Bolt, the world’s fastest woman is slower by less than a second. And this is explainable, as nature has designed men to be physically stronger. Yet, the fact that women are not far clearly deserves appreciation.