DANIEL Sangouma, a French sprinter, last week failed in his bid to beat
a horse over 80 metres, a feat achieved in 1936 by Jesse Owens, Sangouma
stole an early lead on Jappeloup, ridden by Pierre Durand, but the horse
eventually won the event, at the Saint Cloud racetrack near Paris. Roger
Harris of the Animal Health Trust in Newmarket says that the course of the
race was fairly predictable. ‘Horses can run very much faster than humans
in the long run – a horse can reach speeds of about 19 to 21 metres per
second – while man can only achieve a maximum of about 11 metres per second.
However,’ he added, ‘people can accelerate quicker and so may have an advantage
over very short distances.’ This would appear to explain how Sangouma gained
the edge early on in the race.
More from Â鶹´«Ã½
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending Â鶹´«Ã½ articles
1
Autism may have two distinct subtypes that vary by brain activity
2
A quantum state that lasts forever may finally be within our grasp
3
The secrets to keeping your brain sharp in old age
4
Sperm have been made magnetic to allow IVF inside the body
5
Walking shark found in Papua New Guinea is new to science
6
Fully autonomous drones have killed human soldiers for the first time
7
Arctic Ocean reaches tipping point that could be dire for marine life
8
Global map reveals the vast scale of underground fungal networks
9
Has the answer to life's origins been hiding in our cells all along?
10
Â鶹´«Ã½ recommends a brilliant take on the evolution of birds
