A humanoid robot called Tiangong Ultra won the 100-metre final in 8.64 seconds in Beijing on August 26, 2026, beating Usain Bolt’s world record on the clock. A day earlier it had failed to stop after its semi-final run and caught fire. The threshold that actually matters is not human-like movement but the day a robot works cheaper than a hired worker, and Japanese reactions to the games show a country watching its own former lead from the stands.