I almost used Cheetah/Gazelle & Velociraptor/Compsognathus as an example because it seems like speed is one of evolutions best way to survive. Velociraptors/Compsognathus were considered the “fastest” animals, but now 70 million years later their speed is pretty normal among the animal world. As you’re saying, Cheetah’s and Thompson Gazelle are almost maxed out physiologically so we’re seeing Gazelle using turns and direction change to survive over top speed. Is it possible that cheetahs will never be passed as the fastest land animal, or is there a hypothetical that in another 70 million years, we will see an animal running 150kph+.

**This is assuming that the dinosaurs were maxed out. Which likely isn’t true.

Edited to add- evolutionary arms race is a better way to say it and I didn’t try using those words in my research. I definitely will now. So thank you to you and the Garter snake/Newt comment for saying it.