From the 100-metre dash to the F-1 circuit, speed is one of the most compelling elements of live sports, period. And in all of the major professional sports, speed is an asset that can take a player from valuable to MVP, or from the minor leagues to the majors.
So put on your seatbelts. What follows is our list of the fastest men in sports.
The Fastest Athletes in Their Respective Sport
Football – Chris Johnson
Claim to fame: 4.24-second 40-yard dash
The 40-yard dash time is the NFL combine’s most popular stat, and Johnson is the proud owner of that drill’s record time at 4.24 seconds. Johnson has put that superhuman speed to good use in the NFL, particularly during his record-setting 2009 season.
The three-time Pro Bowler led the league in rushing that season with 2,006 rushing yards to become sixth member of the exclusive 2,000 yard club. He also broke Marshall Faulk’s record of 2,509 yards from scrimmage.
Baseball – Billy Hamilton
Claim to fame: first to second in three seconds
Base-stealing was becoming a lost art in baseball, but Billy Hamilton and his lightning-quick legs are set to change that in 2014. The Cincinnati Red turned heads back in 2012 with 155 stolen bases in the minor leagues, and will take over as the Reds’ lead off man this season with Shin-Soo Choo gone via free agency.
It will be damn exciting this season seeing what Hamilton can do. His average sprint from first to second takes 3.01 seconds, which–even with a pitchout–is almost impossible to prevent. For some context, the great Rickey Henderson was timed at 3.04-3.10 seconds from first to second in his prime.
Soccer – Theo Walcott
Claim to fame: 22.2 miles per hour sprint
If speed were a monetized commodity, Theo Walcott would be a millionaire. He did eventually become one once his elite talent earned him a big-money move to English giants Arsenal at age 17, as well as the England national team as its youngest ever call-up.
That speed – which was recorded at 22.2 mph last season – has allowed Walcott to speed by defenders on his way to 45 goals in 194 career appearances for the Gunners.
Hockey – Carl Hagelin
Claim to fame: 13.218 seconds in NHL fastest skater challenge
The NHL doesn’t award a fastest-skater award in Olympic years, so this season’s reigning champ is Carl Hagelin. And he deserves the extra year with the title.
The Swede recorded a final round time of 13.218 seconds in the 2012 NHL All-Star Game fastest skater challenge, the best final time in the competition’s 20-year history. Hagelin’s skill warranted inclusion in the Swedish hockey team that won silver in the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
Basketball – Russell Westbrook
Claim to fame: 3.08 second pre-draft sprint
With two surgically-repaired knees, Derrick Rose’s title of fastest man in the NBA is up for grabs, and Russell Westbrook is poised to take it – whatever John Wall says. The OKC guard had a pre-draft sprint time of 3.08 seconds compared to Rose’s 3.05, and it shows in his game.
Westbrook is a career 20-point scorer and three-time All-Star thanks in part to his speed, which allows him to get to the rim and finish explosively at will.
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