Technology

Chinese humanoid robots surpass human athletic records at Beijing games

Robots topped world marks in sprinting and jumping during a Beijing showcase amid mounting technological competition and U.S. regulatory scrutiny.

Updated Aug 24, 2026 · 02:15 UTC4 reports

The short version

Humanoid robots competing in Beijing exceeded established human records in the 100-meter sprint, 400-meter dash, and standing high jump.
The five-day World Humanoid Robot Games drew over 2,000 participating machines across dozens of athletic events.
Experts and observers noted that despite peak athletic displays, humanoid robots remain largely confined to demonstrations and research rather than practical deployment.
The showcase follows heightened U.S. national security actions, including import restrictions on foreign humanoid robots and military-tie designations for Chinese manufacturers.

A humanoid robot achieved a 100-meter sprint time of 9.39 seconds at the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, surpassing Usain Bolt's 2009 human mark of 9.58 seconds.[Associated Press · CBS News · France 24 · ABC News]
A robot developed by Beijing-based X-Humanoid cleared 2.88 meters in a standing high jump, besting Javier Sotomayor's 1993 human mark of 2.45 meters.[Associated Press · CBS News · ABC News]
The Tiangong Ultra humanoid, built by a Beijing government-backed research center, completed a 400-meter run in a revised time of 38.15 seconds.[France 24]
The event featured over 2,000 humanoid robots from 16 countries competing across 51 categories, including track, soccer, boxing, and martial arts.[Associated Press · France 24 · ABC News]
Alongside record attempts, multiple robots suffered mechanical failures, including collapsing at the start, breaking apart, or needing stretchers after colliding with stopping cushions.[CBS News · France 24]
The games occurred against a backdrop of tightened U.S. measures, including an FCC import ban on foreign humanoid robots and a Pentagon designation listing Chinese manufacturer Unitree as linked to China's military.[Associated Press · CBS News · ABC News]

Smartphone maker Honor claimed its robot achieved a 9.32-second 100-meter trial sprint, but this was reported as an unverified pre-games trial rather than an official competition result.[Associated Press · ABC News]
Industry analysts emphasize that timeline and feasibility for transitioning these specialized athletic prototypes into broad commercial or domestic deployment remain unclear.[Associated Press · CBS News · ABC News]