Louis Bielle-Biarrey hits HUGE speed record as he takes on former European sprinting champion in race for the ages
Louis Bielle-Biarrey hits HUGE speed record as he defeats former European sprinting champion in race for the ages
French sprinting legend Christophe Lemaitre put rugby superstar winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey to the test recently, as the duo competed in a 50 metre foot race shared on CANAL+.
The 22-year-old star turned on the jets as he faced the 35-year-old former Olympian in one of the most entertaining races in recent times.
Bielle-Biarrey’s opponent has won a remarkable four senior gold medals at European Championships and achieved bronze medals at two separate Olympic Games. He will also be forever remembered in the world of sprinting for becoming the first-ever white man to break the 10-second barrier in the 100 metres.
Despite ALL this, at 35 years old and having not raced in over 12 months, Lemaitre got well and truly smoked by the younger man.
Bielle-Biarrey hit 38.5 kilometres per hour, which equates to a remarkable 10.69 metres per second, as he beat the French champion in front of his Bordeaux-Begles teammates to reinforce his spot as one of the fastest men in world rugby.
UNE RENCONTRE DE CHAMPIONS ⭐️
Christophe Lemaitre, légende de l’athlétisme français, est allé à la rencontre de Louis Bielle-Biarrey pour partager ses conseils de course 🚀
Le sujet est disponible en intégralité sur l’appli @canalplus 📺 pic.twitter.com/brEOJ074GA
— CANAL+ Rugby (@CanalplusRugby) January 25, 2026
“Out of the question that I’d do less than 100 per cent”
When asked what he thought about the young winger’s running technique, Lemaitre said: “He’s doing well. I gave him a little advice, it’s about adding a bit more rhythm at the start because he swings his legs too much. At the beginning, we need to create speed.
“For a contact sport like rugby, it’s true that it’s impressive that he’s able to generate speed in a very short space of time. Especially as he has roughly an identical build, we’re a bit lanky, a bit tall. We may be able to generate explosiveness and speed without being a bodybuilder, like in the 80s and 90s.”
Bielle-Biarrey added: “The coaches didn’t want me to go at 100 per cent, they were afraid I’d get injured. But it was out of the question that I’d do less than 100 per cent.
“Christophe hadn’t raced for a year, it’s very different, and perhaps with some preparation, the result would have been different. I just want to measure myself and I’m glad I did it.”
Remarkably, at his peak, Lemaitre hit 44 km/h, which is equivalent to 19.66 m/s.
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