Required fields are marked *, John Walker Jul 28, 2021 at 2:49 pm. After beginning life as a football wide receiver throughout high school, Knightons speed soon saw him urged by his coach to take up track in his freshman year at college just three years ago. Shoot, hes nearly half a second faster than Bolt at the same age. I really try not to get caught up in the pressure. I just have to keep training hard every day, stay focused and put a good race together., (Top illustration: John Bradford / The Athletic. Hes fearless, and that factors into how hard he trains. CNW Network is South Floridas number one Caribbean news network that comprises of CaribbeanNationalWeekly.com, National Weekly newspaper and CNW TV. But international expectation is a heavy weight to put on the narrow shoulders of a teenage sprinter, no matter how precocious. The 6-foot-4, 206-pound native of Missouri the son of former Team USA Olympians devoured his competition at this week's AAU National Junior Olympics Tokyo 2020 marks Knighton's first Olympic Games. Knighton finished fourth in 19.93 a stunning performance for a teenager. At the age of 16, Knighton accepted a sponsorship agreement with Adidas, foregoing his final two years of amateur competition at Hillsborough High. He trusts Coach (Terry) with his life, and thats big. "Well for some, maybe. As a wide receiver, he reportedly received offers to play for college football powers Alabama, Florida and Florida State. He just goes out, trusts the process. "He was warning up at 140. Maybe it was a good thing. Bolt, who won gold in the 100 and 200 in three straight Olympics, retired in 2017, but a 19.84 would have taken the silver behind him in 2008 and 2016 and would have tied for third in 2012. I was a little fast, he said, but I got faster.. With comparisons to retired Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolttwo of whose 200-meter youth records were broken by Knightonthe pressure will be there for the teenage Florida native at Wednesday's final. He watches a lot of film, studies his competitors. "Last year, I was just at Junior Olympics, so yeah, I mean, I'm here now it feels really good," he said. With the Tokyo Olympics getting underway later this month and a 200m personal best of 19.84 seconds, 2021 could be the year of Erriyon Knightons making. All Rights Reserved. The first of the horror-thriller trilogy hits the streamer on July 2. Congrats, to Joe Sipp for seeing the potential in Erriyon as a track & field athlete. Knighton didnt play football that first fall, but Sipp, now in his 15th year as the schools offensive line coach and head track coach, told him his speed was something that would be special, that he would do well if he wanted to run track. "We flew in late Monday, had to check in early Tuesday, practice, get ready for Wednesday morning usually we treat these like business trips," his dad said. I think about that all the time. He understands what he stands for and what hes representing., It was a blazing 200 meters by the entire group and a tight finish but Erriyon Knighton did ithe finished 3rd to make the Olympic team as a 17 year old. Knighton, who turned 17 in January, ran down Olympic 100m favorite Trayvon Bromell to win the 200m in 20.11, shaving 0.02 seconds off Bolts 2003 time. He followed the decision made by Tamari Davis, a then-16-year-old who also turned pro in January of 2020. Unable to see the scoreboard immediately at Louisiana State, Knighton reacted with little emotion to his victory. Jamaicas reigning Olympic champion Omar McLeod did not start the final after winning his heat in 13.16, with Holloway a hundredth of a second faster in the second heat. He won the 100 meters as a freshman in his first meet, and his time in the 200 meters was around 21.2 seconds, not bad for a runner just starting to learn correct form and technique. "He had a good meet," Christian said. While on the East Coast of Florida at the AAU Games, Jackson didn't havetoo much free time, although he went parasailing dad stayed grounded at Port Canaveral on Friday. TOKYO Erriyon Knighton may be one of the youngest people in decades to represent the U.S. in men's track at the Olympics but he sailed through to the final of the 200-meter to compete with the fastest men in the world. As for his own mentality, its pretty much the same with an increased obligation to work hard. A slender, rangy figure in home-team red gathers a kick return on his 10-yard line. Living in Tampa, with the championships from the Buccaneers and Lightning and even the Rays, the type of athlete that he is, hes embracing putting the city on his back and bringing awareness to track and field, Terry said. You may have to select a menu option or click a button. "There were a lot of people wanting to take pictures with me at the start of the school year," he remembers. Hes going to have quite an experience, and I know the Lord will give him the right things to say, the right things to do, Ryun said by phone Tuesday night. I dont really show emotions toward stuff like that.. Way to represent Tampa! pic.twitter.com/9hvgiiSOHO. It was a blazing 200 meters by the entire group and a tight finish but Erriyon Knighton did ithe finished 3rd to make the Olympic team as a 17 year old. World champion @LylesNoah is TOKYO-BOUND! Knighton, who aspires to go to medical school, started running his freshman year when his football coach said it could help make him faster as a wide receiver. At Tuesday's 200-meter semifinal, Knighton came in at 20.02 seconds. And, with his recent signing with Adidas, he has more money than hes ever had, most of which goes into the bank. I knew [Knighton] was right up there with them, he said. Twelve years after Ryun achieved the feat, sprinter Dwayne Evans also made the Olympics at 17, just a few months older than Knighton is now, and won bronze in the 200-meter in Montreal in 1976. He turned professional before he turned 17, according to the Team USA website. Jackson's dad,Christian, a five-time world champion, won a silver medal at the 2008 BeijingOlympics and in 2004 had the top four shot put throws in the world. A slender, rangy figure in home-team red gathers a kick return on his 10-yard line. "Hopefully, by next year, our country will all be better off (ifthe COVID-19 pandemic ends) when they come up with a vaccine. I was a little surprised, but not really. Zango produced one of the first stand-out performances of 2021. The Background of the Usain Bolt-Beating Sprinter, Who Is Stan Smith? 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When asked by Florida Today which athlete he considers himself most similar to, he responded, Probably Usain Bolt, just because hes tall like me.. Despite his sudden rise on the track, Knighton was approached by an array of first division schools to play football, but with a number of wins already under his belt and a growing athletics portfolio, Knighton stuck to the track to mark the start of whats expected to be an exciting career. He was freaky athletic.. He would hit the weight room. Incredibly, theres a personal connection between the two runners. Holloway, the head Olympic track coach, spoke to Knighton after the race. At a Florida meet in June, the teenager shattered Bolt's under-18 200-meter record set in 2003. Erriyon hasnt disclosed his parents names to us, but his father was a basketball player in the past. I could make sure he was getting the right amount of sleep and eating right, so it was better that he stayed with us.. Theyre still calling me, longtime Hillsborough football head coach Earl Garcia said Monday. Earlier this week, Knighton won his first heat and said that he eased up after the first half of that sprint. In January 2021, months before the Tokyo Games, he turned professional, signing a contract with Adidas and hiring John Regis, a British three-time Olympian and a U.K. record-holder in the 200, as one of his agents. Patrick Smith/Getty Images Knighton continues to show up toschool. Holloway told him, I dont want you to ever forget how you feel right now; and remember, you dont ever want to feel this way again.. One of our greatest Terrier traditions continues! By the way, Jackson who represents the Blue Thunder Track Clubin Columbia. You may have more than one ad-blocker installed. And, both Boys and Girls teams have been raising the bar, over the past two decades; winning multiple District and Regional championships, and producing Florida State and AAU National Champion track and field student athletes! Congratulations Erriyon. That means he bested legendary Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolts under-20 record, too. Erriyon Knighton (born January 29, 2004) is an American sprinter specializing in the 100 meters and 200 meters. At the Olympic trials last June, he twice shattered Bolts world junior record in the 200, posting his then-career best of 19.84. As. Two and a half years ago, hed never been in a track meet. World indoor records from Hugues Fabrice Zango and Ryan Crouser, plus a handful of world U20 records set by teenage talents Sasha Zhoya and Erriyon Knighton in 2021, are among the latest marks to have been ratified. "It could have gone differently if high school season was still going," he told BBC Sport. Christian, 39, said his "playing weight" back in his prime was between 300 and 350 pounds on his 6-5 frame. Fellow Florida athlete and Jamaican international Briana Williams, then 17, went with Nike in January of 2020. It can go wrong in a lot of ways, said Peter Weyand, a biomechanics expert at Southern Methodist University who researches elite sprinters. Commemorating Chinese New Year to take place on January 22. People often ask whether he wants to be the next Usain Bolt. Knighton chose to turn professional while a junior at Tampa Hillsborough High School. Idon't think about much when I'm out there, just winning the meet," he said. Perhaps, Knighton matches Bolt using the same criteria that made the Jamaican great. Im probably thinking about breaking the world record, Knighton said. Knighton, who ranks seventh among Americans in the 200m since the start of this year, will face stiff competition to crack the top three and make the US Olympic team He leaves biomechanics to his coaches. Knighton started playing football when he was seven. If this weekends Olympic trials marked Knightons true arrival on the national scene, that process started last August, when he competed at the AAU Junior Olympics in Satellite Beach, Fla. It was impossible. He not only won the 200 meters, but did so in 20.33 seconds, breaking the national under-18 record that had been in place since 2001, nearly three years before he was born. Its almost like hes a pogo stick, Knightons coach said. He finished just off the podium in Wednesday's final. Dad's just harder on me, I guess.". Adding that he and his family would like to be a little more included with these things. With that time for the 200 meter dash, he set a new national record at the Amateur Athletic Union, and became the US no.1 mark. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/23/sports/olympics/track-sprinter-knighton-bolt.html. A corrupt copper and a Leeds gangster are bound together by decades of dishonesty, The grime artist turned chef takes inspiration from the social media queen's Swedish and Somali roots, Eight Brits fight for survival in this adrenalin-fuelled competition, hosted by Jordan North. US sprinter Erriyon Knighton ( Getty Images) World U20 records* were broken in mens sprint events in two different continents just five hours apart on Saturday (30) as Botswanas Letsile Tebogo ran 9.96 for 100m in Gaborone and Erriyon Knighton clocked 19.49 for 200m in Baton Rouge. And it'll take a while for Jackson to even come close to his dad's accomplishments. During his personal training, Knighton practices wherever he has permission. I know thats easier said than done, but thats the key. If anyone can appreciate the challenge of running for your country at such a tender age, its Jim Ryun, once the first high schooler to run a four-minute mile and now 74 and retired after a post-Olympic career that included 10 years in Congress in his native Kansas. News from Hillsborough High School in Tampa, Fla. Bolt is the classic story of the ingredients you want to have things go right strong family support, friends, really good, stable management and good coaching., If Knighton avoids serious injury and maintains a solid support structure, while his career continues on a normal trajectory, Weyand said, he appears likely to break Bolts 200-meter record of 19.19 once thought untouchable. At a Florida meet in June, he twice shattered Bolts world junior record in 200. Thinking about breaking the world record, too wants to be a little more included with things... Way to represent Tampa the Way, Jackson who represents the Blue Thunder track Clubin.. 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