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World's Fastest Sports

What is the world's fastest sport? When discussing the world's fastest sport, it can mean different things depending on the context. There are many interpretations of speed - the speed of the game (ice hockey), movement speed (fencing, clay target shooting), and running speed (100m sprinting, tennis, rugby). It could refer to the fastest object in a sport, such as a badminton shuttlecock. It might also mean fast-moving sports such as downhill skiing or Formula 1 racing.

badminton smashThe badminton smash is fast

The answer depends on whether you’re focusing on the speed of objects, players, or overall gameplay. Here we will discuss a few of these.

List of Fastest Projectiles

A sport's fastest-moving object is usually something that is hit with a bat or racket (we are ignoring bullets fired in shooting sports). According to the Guinness Book of Records, the fastest projectile speed in any moving ball game is Jai-Alai (Pelota), with the top measured speed of 305.77 km/h (190 mph), achieved by Ibon Aldazabal (Spain) in Dania Beach, Florida, USA, on 24 November 2017. Golf balls have also been recorded at a higher speed than in Jai Alai. The highest golf ball head speed ever recorded was 388.8 km/h (241.6 mph), set by Kyle Berkshire in October 2023. However, an even higher speed has been recorded for a badminton shuttlecock. The Guinness World Records lists the fastest badminton hit in competition is 426 kph (264.70 mph), achieved by Mads Pieler Kolding (Denmark) in 2017.

Comparing the speeds of sports projectiles reported online can be challenging, as the figures may represent different metrics. They might indicate the highest speed ever recorded, an average or typical speed, or the maximum speed at the moment the projectile leaves a bat, racket, or similar equipment. Additionally, measurement methods can vary in accuracy and consistency. As a result, the ranking of the fastest sports listed below may not be entirely accurate. Based on the available information, here’s our top list of the fastest sports in terms of moving objects:

  1. Badminton: Badminton is an indoor racket sport where players hit a shuttlecock back and forth over a net. The shuttlecock holds the record for the fastest projectile in sports, with professional smashes reaching speeds of 426 kph (264.70 mph).
  2. Golf: Golf involves players using clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course with the fewest strokes. The fastest golf ball speed has been measured as 388.8 km/h (241.6 mph) at launch.
  3. Jai Alai: an indoor sport where players use a curved basket (cesta) to hurl a ball (pelota) against a wall at extreme speeds. The ball is known to reach speeds of up to 305.77 km/h (190 mph), making it possibly the fastest sport in the world.
  4. Squash: Squash is a fast-paced racket sport played in a four-walled court. The small hollow rubber ball has been hit at a record 267.151 km/h (166 mph), achieved by David Hilton III (USA) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, in 2021.
  5. Tennis: Tennis is a court sport where players use stringed rackets to hit a ball over a net. The fastest recorded tennis serve was 263 km/h (163.4 mph) by Australian Sam Groth On 9 May 2012 during an ATP Challenger event in Busan, South Korea.
  6. Lacrosse: Lacrosse is a team sport where players use sticks with netted heads to pass and shoot a rubber ball. The fastest recorded lacrosse shot is 192.96 km/h (119.9 mph) by USA player Patrick Luehrsen in 2015, making lacrosse one of the fastest team sports.
  7. Baseball: Baseball involves pitching, hitting, and catching a small leather ball. The record pitch speed was 170.3 km/h (105.8 mph) thrown by Aroldis Chapman (Cuba) for the Cincinnati Reds in 2010. But the batters can hit the ball even faster The fastest hit baseball in Major League Baseball (MLB) was a 197 km/hr (122.4 mph) hit by Oneil Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2022. 
  8. Hurling: A Gaelic outdoor team sport where players use a wooden stick to hit a ball between the opposing team’s goalpostsThe fastest shot recorded to date was hit by TJ Reid of Kilkenny against Limerick in the 2014 GAA All Ireland Senior Hurling Championship semi-final, when a speed of 181.1 kph (112.5 mph) was measured.
  9. Ice Hockey: In ice hockey, players use sticks to hit a puck, aiming to score goals. The record puck speed in competition being 177.5 km/h (110.3 mph) slapshot by Denis Kulyash.
  10. Cricket: Cricket is a bat-and-ball game where bowlers deliver the ball to batters. The fastest recorded bowl in cricket was 161.3 km/h (100.2 mph) by Pakistan pace-bowler Shoaib Akhtar. As in baseball, the batsmen can hit the ball at a greater speed than the ball is bowled. We have no data on the hit ball speed, but we expect it to be higher than 161km/hr.
  11. Soccer: The fastest football kick is 129 km/h (80.1 mph) achieved by Francisco Javier Galan Màrin (Spain) at the studios of El Show de los Récords, Spain in 2001.

Fast Moving Humans (non-motorized)

Ignoring any mechanically assisted motion, the fastest moving humans in sport, with the aid of gravity, are downhill speed skiers. The highest recorded speed by a skier is 255.500 km/h (158.760 mph), achieved by Simon Billy (France) in Vars, France on 22 March 2023.

You might think that skydiving may get higher speeds, however the terminal velocity is often reported to be approximately 60 m/s (216km/hr, 134mph) for a typical skydiver in free fall, the skiers probably get in better aerodynamic positions.

Another gravity assisted sport is luge, the fastest sport on ice. Tony Benshoof (USA) reached a speed of 139.39 km/h (86.6 mph) while training on the 2002 Olympic track at Park City, Utah, USA, on 16 October 2001. 

In sprinting, if you take the average speed of the current world 100 m record (Bolt's 9.58 s), you get about 10.44 meters/sec (23.35 miles/hr, 37.58 km/hr).

Fast Moving Humans (mechanically aided)

Humans can move a lot faster when aided by machinery. Here are some example sports in which humans are moving very fast.

Games Speed

Lacrosse has been called "the fastest sport on two feet" because of how fast the ball is able to be moved down the field. Ice hockey is another sport often quoted as having the highest speed of the game.

How else to classify the fastest sports?

The speed of an object, the competitors, or overall gameplay are just a few of the ways to determine which sport is the fastest. Another crucial factor is the reaction time required by the opposition. If players are positioned close to each other, a fast-moving object demands incredibly quick reflexes to hit or respond effectively. A good example of this is table tennis, the short distance between players requires exceptional reflexes.



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