The superlatives have been flying for Sha’Carri Richardson in advance of the Paris Olympics. Fastest woman in the world. Gold medal favorite.
Richardson could possibly even flirt with the 100-meter dash world record, set over 30 years ago by Florence Griffith-Joyner.
But could Richardson also break the laws of physics?
According to a hypothesis in Runner’s World, the surprising answer is “Yes…elsewhere in the solar system.”
Get off the sidelines and into the game
Our weekly newsletter is packed with everything from locker room chatter to pressing LGBTQ sports issues.
Correspondent Laura Ratliff pondered whether it was possible for an elite runner like Richardson to achieve a sprint speed so fast that she could run on water.
Literally, not metaphorically.
That would be an all timer of a sports moment, especially considering that the last beat writers to cover this feat were Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Ratliff’s article detailed how Harvard researchers Tom McMahon and Jim Glasheen formed a mathematical model to determine the conditions necessary for a human to pull this off by studying the Basilisk lizard, a species that is able to run atop water to evade predators.
It’s become customary to compare Richardson to some of the fastest inhabitants on the planet. Comparing her to them on another planet is a new one.
There was a lot of math in the study, but basically what McMahon and Glasheen determined was that a human sprinter would need to achieve a speed of 98 feet per second in order to support their weight on the surface of the water. Not even Richardson could do that.
Sadly, holding the 100m Finals on the Seine wouldn’t give Richardson an edge.
On Earth anyway.
Related
Sha’Carri Richardson is Outsports 2023 Female Athlete of the Year
Sha’Carri Richardson is an out LGBTQ athlete and the world’s fastest woman, with her sights on Olympic gold.
By Jim Buzinski | December 19, 2023
However, a 2012 study at the University of Milan determined that humans could briefly support their own weight on top of a liquid body in an environment with 10% of Earth’s gravity.
This led Physics World’s Nicole Sharp to present a theory. Jupiter’s moon Titan has 13.8 percent of Earth’s gravitational acceleration and features lakes consisting of frigid ethane and methane.
“To stay atop Titan’s ethane, Richardson would have to slap the surface at about 9.0 m/s…Her world championship time was significantly faster at 9.3 metres per second,” Sharp wrote.
Of course, the average surface temperature on Titan is -300 degrees Fahrenheit. So there’s that.
Still, if you move the Olympics to Titan, Richardson would be the first athlete to win a 100m dash with a time similar to Florence Griffith-Joyner and a short program score comparable to Tara Lipinski.
After which she could add “actual miracle worker” to her bio.
