In this fascinating roundup of 10 ancient humans, we explore how our prehistoric predecessors might outshine today’s elite sports stars. Author Peter McAllister wrote a book called Manthropology: The Science of Why the Modern Male Is Not the Man He Used to Be. It’s a fact‑based, humorous look at why modern men are inferior to their historical counterparts in almost every way possible.
10 Ancient Humans Who Could Beat Modern Sports Icons
10 Usain Bolt vs. Ancient Australians
Usain Bolt clocked 100 metres (328 ft) in a blistering 9.69 seconds at the Beijing Olympics, translating to a sprint speed of roughly 42 km/h (26 mph). Yet fossilized tracks dated around 20,000 years ago from Australia reveal that ordinary members of that era could already manage about 37 km/h (23 mph) while sprinting barefoot through soft mud. If those ancient runners were equipped with modern spikes, a proper track, and systematic training, they could have pushed their top speed to roughly 45 km/h (28 mph).
These Pleistocene Australians boasted elongated limbs and leg bones that were 40 % denser and sturdier than those of today’s humans. As nomadic hunters who needed to chase down prey, speed was an essential survival trait. Their environment, populated by swift kangaroos and emus, demanded rapid movement. While fossil footprints are scarce and likely not left by the fastest individual, the average modern human tops out at about 24 km/h (15 mph), which is 18 km/h (11 mph) slower than Bolt. Assuming the ancient tracks represent an average runner, a Pleistocene Aussie equivalent of Bolt could have surged to a staggering 63 km/h (39 mph).
9 Samuel Wanjiru vs. Native Americans
Kenyan marathon legend Samuel Wanjiru shattered the Olympic record in Beijing 2008, finishing in 2 hours 6 minutes 32 seconds. Imagine, however, a late‑19th‑century Mojave Native American joining the race; Wanjiru would likely have settled for silver. The Mojave engaged in a vigorous desert game akin to kickball, sprinting along the Colorado River while propelling a wooden ball ahead of them.
This relentless activity burned an astounding 17,000 calories in a single day—nearly double the energy expenditure of Tour de France cyclists. One Mojave individual reportedly covered 322 km (200 mi) within a 24‑hour span. By comparison, Greek ultra‑marathoner Yiannis Kouros holds the modern 24‑hour record at 304 km (189 mi), achieved in spikes on a track and without the threat of wolves or rattlesnakes.
8 Kerri Walsh Jennings vs. Pleistocene Aborigines
The Pleistocene Aboriginal peoples would have been formidable volleyball competitors, not only because of their Bolt‑like speed or lanky frames that modern basketballers admire, but also thanks to a distinctive physical advantage: longer arms. On average, they possessed an extra 10 cm (4 in) of wrist length compared to contemporary humans.
For a volleyball star like Kerri Walsh Jennings, extended arms are a game‑changer. An underhand serve benefits from longer arms by generating greater ball velocity, while an overhand smash gains both speed and reduced airtime thanks to the extended reach. Moreover, those extra centimeters provide a broader defensive radius, crucial for counter‑attacking opponents’ serves.
7 Olympic Rowers vs. Athenian Oarsmen
If you assume today’s Olympic rowers are the pinnacle of rowing prowess, think again. While modern athletes can glide their shells through water at impressive speeds, the ancient Greeks fielded oarsmen who could outpace any contemporary rower by a wide margin. In 427 B.C., an Athenian trireme— a warship powered by 34,000 oarsmen—completed a 340‑km (211‑mi) voyage to Lesbos in just 24 hours.
When modern rowers attempted the same feat in a reconstructed trireme, they could only sustain the ancient speed for a few seconds, managing a peak of roughly 9 km/h (5.6 mph). Historical accounts suggest even a modest Athenian crew could maintain 14 km/h (8.7 mph), a pace beyond the aerobic capacity of today’s elite rowers. This implies that Athenian oarsmen possessed an innate, superior aerobic endurance.
6 Wladimir Klitschko vs. Australopithecus
Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko may appear intimidating, yet the diminutive Australopithecus would likely have bested him in a boxing bout. Despite standing roughly 60 cm (2 ft) shorter than Klitschko, Australopithecus shared physiological traits with chimpanzees—creatures that possess four times the muscle strength of humans. Chimps have been documented deadlifting 272 kg (600 lb), and a female chimp once pulled an astonishing 572 kg (1,261 lb) with a single hand.
In a ring scenario, a chimp—or its Australopithecus ancestor—wouldn’t need to deliver a knockout punch; a single, powerful swing could easily toss a heavyweight over the ropes. Moreover, these early hominins were swift and agile, allowing them to land decisive blows while larger, slower fighters like Klitschko or the legendary Rocky Marciano would be left stumbling.
5 Jan Zelezny vs. Ancient Greeks
While German javelin prodigy Matthias de Zordo may sound like a 1960s B‑movie villain, the 24‑year‑old was eclipsed by Jan Zelezny’s 1996 world record of 98.48 m (323.1 ft). Yet even Zelezny would fall short of the ancient Greeks, whose Olympians hurled javelins beyond 150 m (492 ft). It’s worth noting that the Greeks employed lighter spears and a leather throwing thong that added roughly 10‑25 % to their distances.
In the early 1800s, Australian Dalleburra Aboriginal men could launch hardwood spears 110 m (361 ft) unaided. British sports educator Lieutenant Colonel F. A. M. Webster, himself a national champion javelin thrower, reported that early‑20th‑century Turkana men of East Africa routinely out‑threw him by several meters using traditional spears.
4 Viktor Ruban vs. Mongol Archers
Ukrainian archer Viktor Ruban secured gold in Beijing by landing five bullseyes out of twelve arrows from a distance of 70 m (230 ft). In stark contrast, during the era when archery meant life or death, Genghis Khan’s warriors could strike a tiny red flag positioned 150 m (492 ft) away. One elite Mongol archer famously felled a flying duck with a single shot, and another reputedly hit a target 536 m (1,759 ft) distant.
Seventeenth‑century Carib archers could hit an English half‑crown coin at 76 m (250 ft). Modern Olympic archers typically train about 40 hours weekly, whereas Mongol archers logged roughly 80 hours, beginning their regimen at the tender age of two. By seventeen, they would have amassed an estimated 64,000 practice hours—far surpassing the 10,000‑hour benchmark often cited for achieving elite status. Contemporary archers wield high‑tech carbon‑fiber recurve bows equipped with sights and stabilizers, yet the Mongols mastered horseback archery without such aids.
3 Ilya Ilyin vs. Neanderthals
Kazakhstan’s weightlifting powerhouse Ilya Ilyin captured gold at the 2014 World Championships, but a Neanderthal would have dwarfed his performance. Male Neanderthals boasted roughly 20 % more muscle mass than modern humans, granting them a strength advantage of 126‑138 % over us. Ilyin’s clean‑and‑jerk topped out at 242 kg (534 lb), with a combined total of 432 kg (952 lb). By contrast, a top‑tier Neanderthal, given identical training, could have managed a clean‑and‑jerk of 309 kg (681 lb) and a total of 554 kg (1,221 lb).
In the women’s division, Chinese lifter Zhou Lulu set a 75‑kg (165‑lb) world record with a combined 328 kg (723 lb). Yet the strongest female Neanderthal could have lifted a staggering 475 kg (1,047 lb), eclipsing the current men’s heavyweight record. Female Neanderthals were 145 % stronger than today’s women and possessed 10 % more body mass than the average European male. Their shorter arms would have further amplified their lifting capacity.
2 Javier Castellano vs. Mongol Riders
Javier Castellano topped the earnings chart in 2014, raking in more than $25 million, and in 2013 amassed over $26 million. While Genghis Khan’s Mongol warriors didn’t earn comparable fortunes, they could outpace any modern jockey in a straight‑line dash. For the nomadic steppes dwellers, riding felt as natural as walking. A fully equipped Mongol could cover 130 km (81 mi) in a single day, traversing rugged mountains and arid deserts.
Genghis Khan leveraged these riders to relay messages across his sprawling empire. When his grandson Kublai Khan fell out of favor with the nomads, the empire’s dominance waned, underscoring the strategic importance of these unparalleled equestrians.
1 Javier Sotomayor vs. Tutsi Men
High‑jump legend Javier Sotomayor cleared a world‑record 2.45 m (8 ft 0 in) in 1993—a remarkable feat that still stands unrivaled. Yet his achievement pales beside the daily jumps of 19th‑century Rwandan Tutsi men, for whom leaping over one’s own height signified true manhood. Many Tutsi were naturally tall enough to impress NBA scouts, and they routinely vaulted over 2 m (6 ft 7 in).
One Tutsi reportedly achieved a staggering 2.52 m (8 ft 3 in) without any formal training or technique coaching. If taught the Fosbury Flop—the mid‑air wiggle that adds extra height—a Tutsi jumper could easily surpass 3 m (9 ft 10 in), dwarfing modern Olympic records.
Crispin Andrews is a freelance writer from England. He writes about science, technology, popular culture history, sports, and the unexplained.