Records tumble and so do robots at China’s humanoid Olympics

August 25, 2026 — 11:30am

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Beijing: At the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, the machines proved they are becoming faster, higher, and stronger, even as their practical utility beyond the athletics track remains uncertain.

This is the second time China has hosted the games – an unofficial robot Olympics of its own making – which is designed to showcase its national talent against a backdrop of intensifying geopolitical rivalry in the high-tech sphere.

With the 100 metres sprint final still to go, the hot ticket is Chinese robot Tiangong Ultra. It took down Usain Bolt’s record in the heats on Saturday, clocking a 9.39-second dash and shaving 0.19 seconds off the Jamaican superstar’s time, which remains unbeaten by humans since 2009.

The Tiangong team struck again on Sunday, claiming victory in the 400 metres final for both the small and large humanoid categories, the latter smashing a 2016 Olympic world record in the process.

If the competitors’ blank faces could express human emotion, they would surely depict sheer terror. The robots fanged it around the track with the unhinged gait of someone fleeing an axe murderer – staggering head forward, arms slicing wildly, on the cusp of........

© The Age