Badminton Player Hits New World Record Smash at 265 MPH

2016 European Champion badminton player Mads Kolding set a new world record for a competition smash on Wednesday in India’s Premier Badminton League. Kolding—who was also involved in the epic rally we highlighted earlier this week—hit the shuttlecock a whopping 265 miles per hour (426 kmph). If that somehow doesn’t seem impressive to you, consider that the previous world record hit by a male athlete in competition, in 2015, was 253.55 mph, according to Guinness.

Yeah, whatever, you might be thinking. Those things decelerate really fast. I’m still not impressed.

You’re right. They do decelerate fast. But it took just 0.28 seconds for the shuttlecock to reach Kolding’s opponent, and he somehow got his racket up in time to attempt a return. (It hit the net.) It takes 0.413 seconds for a baseball thrown 100 mph to reach the batter. A 145 mph tennis serve would take 0.28 seconds to reach the opponent’s service line.

[H/T Reddit]