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Usain Bolt Open to 70-Meter Race vs. Tyreek Hill with Gold Medal, SB Ring Wager
August 12, 2021
Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt said Thursday he's willing to face off with Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill in a 70-meter (76.6-yard) race, but he wants something on the line.
Bolt's preferred stakes? One of his eight Olympic gold medals against Hill's Super Bowl LIV ring. He talked about the potential showdown on Peacock's Dan Patrick Show:
Dan Patrick Show @dpshowHere you go... Usain Bolt vs. Tyreek Hill in a 70 meter dash. <a href="https://twitter.com/usainbolt?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UsainBolt</a> says he'll put up a gold medal if Tyreek puts up his Super Bowl ring. You in <a href="https://twitter.com/cheetah?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@cheetah</a>? We'll set it up for the week after the Super Bowl. Let's do it! <a href="https://t.co/YLY3YUq57I">pic.twitter.com/YLY3YUq57I</a>
A lot would likely depend on whether the three-time Olympic 100-meter champion is still near or close to peak physical conditioning. He didn't compete at the Tokyo Olympics this month after entering retirement following the 2017 World Championships.
Bolt's peak speed on record is 27.8 mph at the 2009 World Championships. Hill's top speed, albeit while taking part in a football game and not a track race, is 23.2 mph during Week 2 of the 2016 NFL season.
Hill, 27, jokingly called Bolt "washed up" in July while saying he could beat the longtime fastest human on the planet in a 40-yard dash. "Cheetah" admitted the 34-year-old sprinter would probably beat him at 100 yards, though:
Bolt's latest counteroffer is a middle ground between the two distances.
Whether the Chiefs would allow Hill, who's heading into his second season of a three-year, $54 million contract, to take part in the match race after the 2021 season is unclear. He did beat teammate Mecole Hardman in a 40-yard competition last August:
If Hill vs. Bolt ever happens, it would be must-see TV.