Tiangong Ultra cut its 100m time from 9.39 to 8.86 seconds
Tiangong Ultra clocked 8.86 seconds in the 100m semifinals at the 2026 World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, CGTN reported on August 26. The time broke the robot's own previous mark of 9.39 seconds, set on August 22. The gap between the two runs is 0.53 seconds.
Tiangong Ultra is a Chinese humanoid robot, a machine built to walk and run on two legs. CGTN's item is a 20-second video. It gives no breakdown of heats, no other runners and no wind or timing details.
Tiangong Ultra's two reported 100m times
| Date | Time | Source |
|---|---|---|
| August 22 | 9.39 seconds | CGTN |
| Reported August 26 | 8.86 seconds (semifinals) | CGTN |
"Tiangong Ultra, a Chinese humanoid robot, clocked an astonishing 8.86 seconds in the 100-meter semifinals at the 2026 World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing."／"It smashed the 100m record again, breaking its own 9.39-second record set on August 22."（video item text）— CGTNView official source →
The second World Humanoid Robot Games by the numbers
The World Humanoid Robot Games is a competition in which teams enter humanoid robots in sports events, and the second edition ran from August 22 to 26, 2026. The main competition took place at the National Speed Skating Oval in Beijing, known as the "Ice Ribbon." It held 51 events and 1,301 matches, the Beijing municipal government said in its preview.
The first games compared with the 2026 games
| Measure | Previous games | 2026 games |
|---|---|---|
| Events | 26 | 51 |
| Teams | 280 | 666 |
| Matches | 487 | 1,301 |
| Robots | Not reported | 2,056 |
Of the 51 events, 30 are sports contests and 21 are scene events, which are tasks set in realistic settings. Those 21 are up from 6 at the previous games, and some formats now have two or four robots competing at once. The qualifying round was abolished, and martial arts and sports dance were added as competition events.
The evening of opening day was set for a 7-a-side football exhibition match and the qualifiers for the 400m and 100m. The preview also expected the games' own records to fall across the board in track events.
"第2回世界ヒューマノイドロボット競技大会の本戦は、8月22日から26日まで、国家スピードスケート館「アイスリボン」で開催され、51種目・全1301試合が行われる。"／"競技種目は前回の26種目から51種目に増加し、そのうち競技種目が30種目、シーン競技が21種目となる。"／"参加チーム数は前回の280チームから666チームに増加し、参加するロボットは2056台に達するなど、大会規模が大幅に拡大した。"／"試合数は前回の487試合から1301試合に増加した。"／"開会式当日の夜には7対7のサッカーエキシビションマッチと400メートル、100メートルの予選を実施。"（大会概要／大会の見どころ sections）— Beijing Municipal People's GovernmentView official source →
The 100m rules: a one-minute limit and no remote control
At the 2026 games a robot had one minute to finish the 100m, and no person could steer it. The completion time limit was cut from three minutes to one. Tiangong Ultra's 8.86 seconds was set inside that limit.
Fully autonomous means the robot runs by itself, with no human controlling it during the event. Every track event and every other event required it, except the 100m hurdles and the 400m hurdles, so the plain 100m had no remote control, and neither did the 400m or the 1500m.
Both rules come from the organizers' own preview. It was published on August 18, before the games opened.
"100メートルの完走制限時間は 3分から1分に、400メートルは15分から5分に、1500メートルは40分から15分に短縮された。"／"100メートル障害走と400メートル障害走を除き、すべてのトラック競技とその他の競技種目で、ロボットが完全に自律して競技を行うことが求められる。"（競技ルールと審判体制 section）— Beijing Municipal People's GovernmentView official source →
Shorter time limits and more referees at the 2026 games
The 100m was not the only event where the organizers tightened the rules. The same preview lists these changes.
- 400m: completion limit cut from 15 to 5 minutes
- 1500m: completion limit cut from 40 to 15 minutes
- Gymnastics, martial arts and sports dance: difficulty coefficients raised
- Obstacle race: changed from one lane to two lanes running at the same time
- Standing long jump: clearer requirements on the jumping motion
The referee team grew as well. The games appointed 223 referees: 28 international, 75 national and 120 first-class. That is 100 more than at the previous games.
"体操、武術、スポーツダンスでは難易度係数が引き上げられる。障害物競走は1レーンから2レーンでの同時競技に変更され、立ち幅跳びでは跳躍動作に関する要件がより明確化されるなど、競技の難易度が高められている。"／"今大会には223名の審判員が選任され、内訳は国際級28名、国家級75名、一級120名。審判員の数は前回大会から100名増員された。"（競技ルールと審判体制 section）— Beijing Municipal People's GovernmentView official source →
FAQ
- How fast did Tiangong Ultra run the 100m?
- CGTN reported 8.86 seconds in the 100m semifinals at the 2026 World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing on August 26. That beat the robot's own earlier time of 9.39 seconds, set on August 22.
- Do the robots run on their own?
- Yes. Every track event except the 100m hurdles and the 400m hurdles required the robot to compete fully autonomously, so a person could not steer it during the 100m.
- What is the time limit for the 100m at the games?
- Robots had one minute to finish the 100m, down from three minutes at the previous games. The 400m limit fell from 15 minutes to 5, and the 1500m limit from 40 minutes to 15.
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