2 min readAug 25, 2026 06:15 AM IST First published on: Aug 25, 2026 at 06:15 AM ISTWho would win in a fight, Mike Tyson or a silverback gorilla? It’s a question many have asked, including Tyson himself. Back in the 1980s, the boxing legend was strolling through a zoo with his wife when he came across the ape enclosure, where one big silverback was bullying all the others. Tyson tried to bribe the attendant with $10,000, the story goes, to open the cage so he could fight the animal, but the employee declined. That was undoubtedly for the best — even the greatest human fighter wouldn’t last long against a larger, stronger and more vicious animal.If human athletes shouldn’t be judged on their ability to outfight a gorilla, they shouldn’t be expected to outrace a machine, either. Given that, what’s the need for a brouhaha over two Chinese humanoid robots beating Usain Bolt’s 100m world record at the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing this past weekend? Smartphone maker Honor’s robot, Lightning, came second with a time of 9.47s, whereas the winner, Tiangong Ultra, developed by the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Centre, clocked 9.39s, compared to Bolt’s 9.58s. Someone on a motorbike, another machine, could have done the same.AdvertisementThat aside, the robot games offered their share of finish-line drama — Tiangong careening into the sidelines, Lightning having to be carried away on the stretcher — and there’s no reason these events can’t be considered entertaining “sports” in their own right. Will they eclipse human athletic competition one day? Neither horses nor cars have stopped people running. The only thing to remember is this: Like should be compared with like.