A  Japanese sprinter has run faster than Usain Bolt or Noah Lyles in the open-age men’s 100 m or 200 m world records.

Here’s a breakdown of what is true, what claims have emerged, and how the situation stands.

What we do know

Usain Bolt’s records

• Usain Bolt’s world record in the 100 m is 9.58 s, set in Berlin in 2009. (Pulse Sports)

• Bolt’s 200 m record is 19.19 s (same meet). (Pulse Sports)

• Despite many fast sprinters since, those two marks still stand as the official world records as of now. (AP News)

Noah Lyles

• American sprinter Noah Lyles has become dominant, especially in the 200 m.

• He has recorded a personal best of 19.31 s in the 200 m, making him one of the fastest in history over that distance. (MEXC)

• He has publicly targeted Bolt’s records. (AP News)

A Japanese teenage sprinter making headlines

• A 16-year-old Japanese sprinter, Sorato Shimizu, ran a 100 m in 10.00 s at Japan’s Inter High School Championships. (SPORTbible)

• That time broke the under-18 world best for 100 m (previously 10.06 s) and also surpassed what Bolt had achieved at age 20. (SPORTbible)

• However, this is not the senior world record; it is a youth / age-group record.

• It does not mean Shimizu ran faster than Bolt or Lyles in a senior open world record context.

 What claims seem to be inaccurate or misleading

• Some headlines suggest a Japanese sprinter “faster than Usain Bolt and Noah Lyles as world record broken” — but these appear to misstate the facts.

• The performance refers to an under-18 best, not the open senior world record.

• There is no verified report of a Japanese athlete breaking Bolt’s 100 m world record (9.58) or Lyles surpassing that in open competition.

• The comparison to Bolt and Lyles is often made in terms of “at age 16/20” rather than “overall fastest ever”.

 Why this matters

• Athletic records are categorized by age group, gender, senior/open, junior, etc.

• Breaking a youth record is impressive but different from breaking a senior world record.

• Bolt’s records have stood for many years and are considered extremely challenging to beat.

• Bolt himself has commented that he is not worried his records will be broken soon. (AP News)

• Media headlines sometimes blur the distinction between “fastest ever for my age” and “fastest ever for all ages”.

 Where things stand now and the caveats

• For senior men’s 100 m: the world record remains 9.58 s (Bolt).

• For senior men’s 200 m: the world record remains 19.19 s (Bolt).

• For under-18/youth categories: the Japanese sprinter Sorato Shimizu has set a notable benchmark (10.00 s in 100 m) and is clearly a rising talent.

• For comparisons to Noah Lyles: His domain has been more the 200 m where his 19.31 s P.B. is among the fastest ever but still short of Bolt’s senior record.

• If you read that a Japanese sprinter “broke the world record faster than Bolt/Lyles”, check whether it means youth world record, national record, or open senior world record.