As fans wait patiently for the new Premier League season, the Olympics is providing a perfect distraction.
On Sunday, we witnessed one of the greatest Men’s 100m finals of all time, with the headline race not disappointing in a fantastic photo finish. All eight runners finished in under 10 seconds, with gold medalist Noah Lyles beating runner-up Kishane Thompson by just 0.005 seconds.
Following a sensational sprint, we’ve selected our all-star Premier League line up to compete in a divisional 100m race.
Kyle Walker (Manchester City)
The long-standing sprint king of the Premier League.
Walker’s explosive acceleration has shown few signs of slowing despite the Manchester City captain celebrating his 34th birthday in May. Some have even suggested he likes to give opposition wingers a headstart just to keep things interesting…
The pace of @kylewalker2 ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/PttdAAQk6K
— Manchester City (@ManCity) July 14, 2024
Adama Traore (Fulham)
Adama Traore is a physical phenomenon. The Fulham winger looks suited to a number of Olympic disciplines but perhaps none more so than sprinting.
An electric winger, Traore was nicknamed ‘Usain Bolt’ during his early years in Barcelona’s La Masia academy and was once told by Olympic gold medalist Darren Campbell to ‘slow down’ his sprinting.
Adama Traore’s run, Alex Iwobi’s finish…
Scenes, @FulhamFC ???? pic.twitter.com/4jUBtILizd
— Premier League (@premierleague) February 27, 2024
“At Middlesbrough, Darren told me I didn’t need to run at 100 per cent as I didn’t realise how fast I was,” Traore said to The Telegraph in 2018.
“I can beat players at 70% and this will then give me time to think about what to do next.”
Anthony Elanga (Nottingham Forest)
Anthony Elanga impressed after leaving Manchester United for Nottingham Forest last summer, scoring five goals and providing nine assists in 2023-24.
The Swedish winger qualifies for our 100m final after being recorded as the third-fastest player in the Premier League last season, with a top speed of 36.91 km/h.
Mykhailo Mudryk (Chelsea)
Wesley Fofana has said Chelsea teammate Mykhailo Mudryk is the fastest player he has played against – even surpassing France captain Kylian Mbappe.
“He is so quick,” Fofana said in 2023.
“Yes, of course (Mudryk is the fastest he’s played against)!”
When Mbappe’s name was mentioned as being quicker than Mudryk, Fofana said: “No chance. It’s finished.”
Micky van de ven (Tottenham)
Micky van de Ven broke the Premier League record as the fastest footballer the division has seen since top speeds were first recorded.
The Spurs centre-back clocked in at a record-breaking impressive 37.38 km/h last season. He might not be first out of the blocks but he’s certainly a contender to be first over the line…
Micky Van de Ven is now the fastest player EVER in the Premier League ????
The top speed he recorded against Brentford on 31 Jan was only 0.20km/h slower than Usain Bolt’s average speed during his 100m World Record in 2009 ????⚡️ pic.twitter.com/QaWwRCe7yl
— OneFootball (@OneFootball) February 8, 2024
Pedro Neto (Wolves)
Pedro Neto’s best often sees the Wolves winger leave a trail of defenders behind him. A sensational solo assist against Spurs last season and lung-busting run to force an own goal against Manchester City were reminders of what he is capable of at full tilt.
He was clocked as the fourth-fastest player in the Premier League in 2023-24.
Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
Erling Haaland has the pace to match most in the Premier League, with the Norwegian goal machine’s long-legged stride eating up pitches.
He was the fastest Manchester City player in 2023-24, even eclipsing the aforementioned Walker.
????#UCL pic.twitter.com/kU8efTdIPy
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) April 12, 2024
Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal)
Arsenal’s resident speed merchant, Gabriel Martinelli’s top speed in 2023-24 was higher than any of his teammates in North London.
He has the explosive acceleration to get off to a lightning start in our 100m final.
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