Sprint Races for Footballers
Who are the fastest runners in rugby? The AFL has an annual event with the top sprinters from each club racing at half time during the grand final. In rugby, there have only been a couple of similar events. In 2010, (mostly) rugby players raced each other over 100m, and similar races were held for UK rugby league players from 2009 to 2012.
2010 Gatorade Bolt
Some of the best Australian football players joined up for a 100m race on September 15, 2010, at Sydney Olympic Park. It was called the Gatorade Bolt - the event was hosted by Usain Bolt, who was watching from the side, and his sponsor Gatorade. There were players from Union, League, and Soccer. AFL players were set to join them but had to withdraw following sponsorship issues.
Rugby Union got the bragging rights, with the two union players coming in first and second, with rugby league star Jarryd Hayne third. There was a prize of $20,000 for the winner. See a video of the race.
Results (wind -0.1)
- Lachie Turner (rugby union, NSW Waratahs) 11.10
- John Grant (rugby union, Eastwood) 11.15
- Jarryd Hayne (rugby league, Parammata Eels) 11.20
- Josh Morris (rugby league, Canterbury Bulldogs)11.44
- Ben Barba (rugby league, Canterbury Bulldogs) 11.45
- Nathan Gardner (rugby league, Cronulla Sharks) 11.77
- Matthew Lewis (soccer, Central Coast Mariners) 11.99
- Greg Inglis (rugby league, Melbourne Storm) 12.48
Other Races
- In 2012, 18 of UK's fastest rugby league players raced the 96m length of Headingley pitch to find the fastest man in Rugby League. The winner was London Broncos' Omari Caro, who just edged out two-time winner Jamel Chisholm. The winning time was 10.28 seconds. See a video of the race.
- Jodie Broughton, rugby league's fastest man in 2011.
- Jamel Chisholm, rugby league's fastest man in 2010.
- Jamel Chisholm, rugby league's fastest man in 26 August 2009. Chisholm repeated his win from the previous year, holding off a strong finish from Omari Caro, of Harlequins, with St Helens' new signing Dan Brotherton third.
- Australian Darren Albert, playing for St Helens in England, was crowned the 'Fastest Man in Super League' in 2004, racing at the Robin Park athletics ground located next to the DW Stadium in Wigan.
- In 1999, Darren Albert was unofficially crowned the fastest man in the Australian NRL after winning a race on The Footy Show, running 10.7 seconds for the 100 metres. Albert defeated other NRL speedsters such as Andrew Frew (Manly) and Justin Loomans (Souths).
- Winger Lee Oudenryn beat Martin ''Chariots'' Offiah at Parramatta Stadium during Great Britain's tour of Australia in 1992.
- Australian rugby league and rugby union player Michael Cleary also won bronze at the 1962 Commonwealth Games in the 100 yards. Cleary defeated Manly's Ken Irvine in a photo finish in front of 10,000 fans at the Wentworth Park Greyhound Complex in 1964.
Related Pages
- Fitness for Rugby League
- Poll about the fitness components for rugby league
- Fitness Testing for Rugby League
- AFL sprint race, held at half time of the grand final.
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