Among the many standouts from the week spent in Indianapolis for the NFL Scouting Combine, arguably the biggest winner of the week was Texas Longhorns wide receiver Xavier Worthy. Worthy, who heading into Combine week was already considered one of the dozen or so best receivers in the 2024 draft class, set the Combine record when he ran a blisteringly fast 4.21 40-yard dash. This is the type of speed is tremendously valuable in the National Football League, and Worthy likely improved his draft stock by running the fastest time Indianapolis had ever seen.
Understandably, when someone runs that fast, the natural inclination is to wonder how they stack up against the fastest human being who has ever lived: Jamaican sprinter and Olympic icon Usain Bolt. Bolt's success in international competition is well-documented, but what often flies under the radar is that Bolt once ran the 40-yard dash, clocking in a time of 4.22 seconds… one one-hundredth of a second slower than the time Xavier Worthy ran in Indy.
So, does Xavier Worthy think he could do what very few individuals have ever done… beat Usain Bolt in a race?
Xavier Worthy said Usain Bolt's 4.22 40-yard dash at Super Bowl LIII was in a class all its own.
(via @TheTylerDragon) pic.twitter.com/lcpaVXC0cU
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) March 9, 2024
Not only is Xavier Worthy remarkably fast, one heck of a wide receiver, and soon-to-be a millionaire, but this quote also proves he's incredibly self-aware. There's normal person fast, there's professional athlete fast, there's abnormally fast professional athlete fast, and then there's Usain Bolt fast.
Peak Usain Bolt was a man not to be trifled with on the track. We're talking about the sprinter who, in the process of running one what was at the time the fastest in the history of the sport, used the final twenty meters to celebrate while shattering the previous record in 2008. He'd go on to top that 100-meter dash time twice over the next four years. He still occupies the top three spots in the history of the 100-meter dash, and the top spot on the 200-meter leaderboard as well.
It's worth noting that Bolt, who ran the 4.22 40-yard dash in 2019, hadn't raced competitively since 2017. Additionally, Bolt was wearing sweatpants and flat-soled sneakers when he ran during Super Bowl weekend, so that 4.22 time is most definitely skewed. Using Bolt's 40-time in 2019 is like measuring the weight and success of Michael Jordan's career only based on his two-year tenure with the Washington Wizards.
Context matters, friends!
Follow Us
Subscribe