How Louis Rees-Zammit’s latest speed compares to sprint great …
Louis Rees-Zammit heads to his first Rugby World Cup vying for the title of the quickest man in rugby, and the bad news for defence coaches everywhere is he is still getting faster.
The 22-year-old Gloucester and Wales winger believes he is “definitely quicker than last season” after a gruelling summer of training in with the national side’s famous training camps which have included spells in Switzerland and Turkey. Asked to compare his speed with a year ago Rees-Zammit said: “I would say I am even faster.
“I feel the fittest I have ever been, and I am just raring to go. In terms of numbers, I am definitely quicker than last season, I don’t know if it means much, but 10.8 metres per second.”
To put that number into context, 100m world record holder Usain Bolt ran an average of 10.44 metres per second when he set the fastest time in history of 9.58 seconds in 2009 to win gold at the IAAF World Championships.
Of course, Bolt’s average is over 100m whereas Rees-Zammit’s score is likely to be his highest speed. In fact, Bolt’s speed peaked after 60m of the 100m race when he hit a staggering 12.2 metres per second. So a peak Usain bolt would leave the Cherry and Whites man in the dust, but there are certainly going to be very few rugby players out in France who are going to rival Rees-Zammit for speed and after weeks of intense training he can now sustain those levels for longer.
Tyson Gay of United States, Usain Bolt of Jamaica, Daniel Bailey of Antigua and Barbuda and Marc Burns of Trinidad and Tobago compete in the men’s 100 Metres Final at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in 2009 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Rees-Zammit said: “Being so fit, it just allows you to repeat and repeat all day. Being able to do it once or twice isn’t good enough. I have got to maintain that and keep doing it. The (training) camps in Switzerland and Turkey lived up to expectations. They were the hardest things I have ever done.
“I feel so fit now. I am ready to perform, I am ready to play. We are all ready to go.
“We’ve got some very quick players – Rio [Dyer], Josh [Adams], the whole back-three, Mason Grady is rapid as well and the nines are very quick. We have got great pace in this squad.”
Despite his age, Rees-Zammit offers considerable experience on the back of 27 Wales caps and a Lions tour to South Africa in 2021. “I feel quite experienced at such a young age,” he said. “Being on a Lions tour was amazing but being at a World Cup for your country is really special as well. I would never have thought I would have gone to a World Cup, so I am absolutely over the moon to have this opportunity. I’ve got to take it now.”
Wales kick off their World Cup against Pool C rivals Fiji, with games as Australia, Georgia and Portugal to follow to decide their place in the knock-out stages.