A humanoid robot competing against flesh-and-blood runners broke the world record at a Beijing half marathon on Sunday, showcasing the rapid technological advancement achieved by Chinese makers.

Spectators lined the roads in Yizhuang in the capital’s south to watch the machines and their human rivals race, each group in a separate lane to avoid accidents or collisions.

Some of the robots were highly agile, moving like famous runners such as Usain Bolt, while others had more basic capabilities.

The winning humanoid, equipped with an autonomous navigation system and running for Chinese smartphone maker Honor, completed the roughly 21-kilometre (13-mile) course in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, at an average speed of about 25 kilometres per hour, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

That was far faster than the top human in Sunday’s race, while also surpassing the current men’s world record of 57:20 held by Ugandan runner Jacob Kiplimo.

The result represented spectacular progress from last year, when robot-runners fell repeatedly and the best took more than two hours and 40 minutes to finish.

The number of humanoid entries jumped from around 20 last year to more than 100, according to organisers, a sign of the sector´s growing popularity.

‘Pretty cool’

Han Chenyu, a 25-year-old student who watched the race from behind a safety barrier, barely had time to take out her phone and snap a picture of the leading robot as it whizzed past.

She told AFP she was enthusiastic about such leaps in technology and thought the event was “pretty cool”.

But, she added, “as someone who works for a living, I’m a little worried about it sometimes. I feel like technology is advancing so fast that it might start affecting people’s jobs”, particularly with artificial intelligence growing increasingly sophisticated.

Humanoid robots have become a common sight in China in recent years, in the media as well as in public spaces.

Xie Lei, 41, who watched Sunday’s race with his family, said robots could “become part of our daily lives” within several years, potentially used for “things like housework, elderly companionship or basic caregiving” or “dangerous jobs, even firefighting”.

The humanoid half marathon aims to encourage innovation and popularise the technologies used in creating and operating such machines.

In a sign of the industry’s strength, investment in robotics and so-called embodied AI amounted to 73.5 billion yuan ($10.8 billion) in China in 2025, according to a study by a government agency.

“For thousands of years, humans have been at the top on planet Earth. But now, look at robots. Just in terms of autonomous navigation, at least in this specific sport event, they´re already starting to surpass us,” Xie said.

“On one hand, it does make you feel a little bit sad for humanity. But at the same time, technology, especially in recent years, has given us so much imagination.”

Karachi Kings won the toss and decided to bowl first in the 28th match of Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi on Sunday.

The Sultans, led by Ashton Turner, are placed third on the points table, having secured four wins from their six matches so far in the tournament.

Meanwhile, the Kings sit seventh with an even record, winning three and losing three in six games.

Squads

Karachi Kings: David Warner (c), Hasan Ali, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Khushdil Shah, Saad Baig, Moeen Ali, Azam Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Shahid Aziz, Mir Hamza, Adam Zampa, Hamza Sohail, Aqib Ilyas, Jason Roy, Haroon Arshad, Reeza Hendricks, Ihsanullah and Rizwanullah.

Multan Sultans: Ashton Turner (c), Shan Masood (vc), Mohammad Nawaz, Shehzad Gul, Faisal Akram, Imran Randhawa, Arafat Minhas, Sahibzada Farhan, Steve Smith, Peter Siddle, Tabraiz Shamsi, Lachlan Shaw, Delano Potgieter, Josh Philippe, Momin Qamar, Muhammad Awais Zafar, Muhammad Shahzad, Arshad Iqbal, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Muhammad Ismail and Atizaz Habib Khan.

This is a developing story and is being updated with further details.

Prince Harry appeared to have to made an interesting choice of words which seemed to have landed him trouble with his father King Charles, especially amid talks for a truce.

During his four-day visit to Australia where he took on several engagements in Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney. Harry spoke about parenting during an event hosted by Movember charity which sounded like it was he was taking a dig at his cancer-stricken father amid strained relationship.

Harry had said that as parenting is evolving over time, the children are an “upgrade” of their own parents.

“Not to say that I upgraded my dad or that my kids upgraded me, but the kids that we bring up in today’s world need to be upgraded,” he quickly added.

“There’s no judgment, there’s no blame, there’s no pointing the finger. The reality is that – however you are parenting – that is a personal experience to you, you are going to want to improve on that.”

Even though there had been a lot of backlash for Harry, royal expert Jennie Bond explained that it was not a “deliberate comparison” between himself and King Charles. Hence, he cleared the air immediately “knowing that some people might seize on them as a criticism”.

Bond claimed that Harry’s language was a “tad clumsy” but it was not a snub to Charles.

“I think he just meant that he wants to be the best father possible and to equip his children for this fast moving, fast changing modern world,” she pointed out.

“It’s pretty much what every parent wants for their offspring, and I think the King would have understood what Harry meant.”