The fastest man in the world vs. a (probably drunk) 59-year-old actor. That was the tale of the tape when Mickey Rourke challenged Usain Bolt to 4 a.m. sprint outside of a London nightclub earlier this year and actually defeated the defending Olympic 100 and 200 meters champion.

Rourke, perhaps best known for his Oscar-nominated role in "The Wrestler," told Yahoo! Sports about his apparent late-night encounter with the Olympic legend.

"We were outside the Wellington in Central London, and it was four in the morning," Rourke, a legendary partier, said. "It was just that time of the night, you know, when anything can happen. So I went up to him, and I said, 'Come on, you are the world's fastest man, let's go.'"

Bolt humbly agreed.

Rourke was no slouch of an athlete in his heyday. The veteran actor briefly competed as a professional boxer in the 1990's, amassing an impressive 6-0-2 record. But pushing 60, Rourke smartly asked for a head start.

"There was a space in the street of about 30 meters," Rourke said. "I got him to back up about four paces, we set off and I got him by a few inches."

Assuming what Rourke is saying is absolutely true, here are a few questions to consider: How drunk was Rourke? (The answer to that question might be in this quote by him also in Yahoo!'s story: "I had been drinking tequila with these guys from the Huddersfield Giants rugby team.") Was it really Usain Bolt? (Answer to first question plays into that.) Did Bolt not care about winning this race, or did he really not care about winning this race?

These are important questions.

Photos: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE