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. 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. Erriyon hasnt disclosed his parents names to us, but his father was a Adding that he and his family would like to be a little more included with these things. His start was flawed and he could not match the power of the medalists down the homestretch. A link that, via a search and scroll, leads to footage of an athlete who is neither on the track, nor professional. He considers himself a good student; he gets all his work done. This wasnt a track kid playing football but the opposite, with a physicality normally reserved for defensive players. More than 50 years later, he still holds the American under-20 record in the mile (3:51.3) and had kept the 800-meter record until this May. The current age of Erriyon Knighton is 17 years old. 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. U.S. sprinter Erriyon Knighton wins his qualifying heat of the men's 200-meter earlier this week. Its the biggest track meet on the planet, but his coaches will try to remind him the race is the same as any other hes run, focusing on the distance and himself and not the world watching him. Even if you get mad at him, its hard to stay mad at him, because his personality is so fun-loving and he has such a big heart.. 20.33 seconds is a short amount of time to change somebodys life. He misses it though. There were murmurs that it was too much, too soon. 17-year-old Erriyon Knighton is the youngest male Olympian to make the 200m final since 1984. Garcia, now 68 as Knightons football coach at Hillsborough, was a freshman football player at Washburn University in Topeka in 1970 when he befriended Ryun, who lived in Topeka and used the schools whirlpool to help with a leg injury as he trained between Olympics. The 6-foot-4, 206-pound native of Missouri the son offormer Team USA Olympians devoured his competition at this week's AAU National Junior Olympics Track & Field eventmuch like he manhandles those foot-long steak and cheese subshe often craves. Refresh the page or click the button below to continue. It was his third straight national title, and fourth in five years, dating back to the 8-under class. Ran a wind-legal 20.33 200 at the AAU Junior Olympics in Aug. 2020 for a national record in his age group. Anyone can read what you share. His coach marveled at the finesse and elasticity of Knightons stride. Knighton finished fourth in 19.93 a stunning performance for a teenager. 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. Maybe it was a good thing. Who Is Erriyon Knighton? Read about our approach to external linking. Sometimes at training, Knighton stares into the distance, daydreaming. He finished just off the podium in Wednesday's final. I was running what pros were running, Knighton said. His father was a You have entered an incorrect email address! To watch Knighton run the Olympic 200 final from Tokyo in August, an estimated 500 people gathered at a viewing party at Hillsborough High, cheering, waving flags. Asked whether he could compare his running style to that of another, the teenager said: "Probably Usain Bolt," Florida Today reported in 2020, "just because he's tall like me. "He was warning up at 140. In the end, he had help from former Hillsborough football and track star Jeremiah Green in making the decision to go ahead and sign. The first person to see his potential was Coach Joseph Sipp, the head track coach and a football coach. He wants to be the best version of himself. 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. Erriyon Knighton represented his country in the Tokyo Olympics and brought home a bronze medal (Mens 200m). Erriyon Knighton Family, Parents, Net Worth, Wife, Biography, Ethnicity. Erriyon Knighton (born January 29, 2004) is an American sprinter who specializes in the 100 and 200 meters. I think the betting would be that he could probably do it, he said. It wasnt hurting me, I just kept running.. Celebrating the release of Space Jam: A New Legacy.. Im probably thinking about breaking the world record, Knighton said. Its been quite a process, and to see his progression, year after year, has been amazing, said Jonathan Terry, now in his third year as his AAU coach with the My Brothers Keeper track program in Riverview, Fla., accompanying him to Oregon for the trials. If she asked him to put his toys away, he would do it running. Knighton is qualified to race at the US Olympic trials that start in two weeks at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. Hes fearless, and that factors into how hard he trains. In an interview with Track and Field News, given back in February, Knighton remarked, I believe if I work hard, I will eventually develop to be a world-class athlete. he ran half a lap around the track in 19.49 seconds. It was August, and sweltering. 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. When it turns gray, click the refresh icon that has appeared next to it or click the button below to continue. The track seemed to tilt, as if banked, as Knighton hurtled out of the turn, and he appeared to be running downhill, landing as elite sprinters do just behind the balls of his feet, his heels seemingly never touching the ground. I knew nothing about track. The gun went off. The field also included a pair of Britons: Zharnel Hughes (who took gold at the 2018 European championships) and Adam Gemili (fourth at the 2016 Olympics and 2019 worlds). As far as which parent is his best coach? But Bromell tore an Achilles tendon at the 2016 Rio Olympics and did not reach the 100-meter final in Tokyo despite being a gold medal favorite. Knighton has to look no further than an Olympic peer, Trayvon Bromell, another former Florida high school sprinting star, to realize the possibility and fragility of world-class speed. Holloway, the head Olympic track coach, spoke to Knighton after the race. He was very aggressive in blocking, had three unnecessary roughness penalties last year, Garcia said. Theyre looking from the outside in. A two-minute highlight reel shows not only his quickness but a shiftiness and ability to weave through defenders, scoring 15 touchdowns in his two seasons of varsity ball. The 17-year-old from Tampa, Fla., has made a dramatic rise in track, including knocking down an under-18 world record set by Jamaican track legend Usain Bolt in 2003. Knighton didnt notice he was fast until that Junior Olympics race. When asked by Florida Today which athlete he considers himself most similar to, he responded, Probably Usain Bolt, just because hes tall like me.. Saw a lot of water.". TAMPA, Fla. For Erriyon Knighton, the record-breaking speed isnt as incredible as his acceleration to the track worlds elite. Erriyon Knighton reacts after placing third in the Mens 200 Meter Final during day ten of the 2020 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team Trials at Hayward Field on June meet. Hes not afraid to compete, and thats a big part of being successful in any athletic endeavor.. As for his own mentality, its pretty much the same with an increased obligation to work hard. Hillsborough Highs Erriyon Knighton, just 17 years old, won his 200-meters semifinal in Tokyo. At Tuesday's 200-meter semifinal, Knighton came in at 20.02 seconds. The basic measure of speed is stride length times stride frequency. Knighton also made the Time 100 Next list announced Sept. 28, along with 17-year-old figure skater Ilia Malinin. Knighton chose to turn professional while a junior at Tampa Hillsborough High School. But his decision to turn professional in January 2021, still aged just 16, was a big one. He looks up, spots a hole in the onrushing defence and darts through, evading a tangle of limbs. "Well for some, maybe. Jackson was born just a few months before his dad claimed the silver medal in Beijing. The field also included a pair of Britons: Zharnel Hughes (who took gold at the 2018 European championships) and Adam Gemili (fourth at the 2016 Olympics and 2019 worlds). Then, he breezed through the semifinal, winning yet again. Then, there he was, a year later, at the AAU Junior Olympics in Satellight Beach. Months later, he finished fourth in the 200 at the Tokyo Olympics, so his victory at this low-key meet was not unexpected. Hailing from Tampa, Florida, the teenager entered his junior year at Tampa's Hillsborough High School in 2021, according to the high school's HHS Today website. This summer, another stage beckons, a home World Championships in Oregon. Two and a half years ago, hed never been in a track meet. As. The Big Red Boys & Girls Track & Field programs are well coached and represented! At just 18 years old, the under 20 world record holder is hungry for more, starting with the Lausanne Diamond League He goes about his business the right way and takes this very seriously. 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 After that race, he gestured to "Knighton" on his bib, as if to say, "Remember this name.". In his junior year now, Knighton practices with a personal coach four days a week. Hubris fed by hype. That might as well have been a minute in the world of elite track and field, especially given that it was his first 200-meter race of the season. Your email address will not be published. There were strength workouts in the weight room and conditioning on the track. It Could Help You, Too, U.S. Takes Olympic Gold And Silver In The Fastest Women's 400 Meter Hurdle Race Ever. Congrats, to Joe Sipp for seeing the potential in Erriyon as a track & field athlete. As a 10th grader, he was head and shoulders above everybody. But I was though, but not really, he said. It still hasnt hit me yet, the reality of it, Knighton said by phone Tuesday, awaiting a cross-country flight home from Seattle, with a dizzying few weeks ahead before hes off to compete in Japan. I didnt think I was strong enough, he said. Florida teenager Erriyon Knighton toppled Usain Bolts 200m mark for athletes under 18 at an American Track League meet on Monday, while world champion Grant Holloway dominated a quality 110m hurdles field. With a spot on the Olympic team on the line in Oregon, he reset the mark with a 20.04 on Friday, then a blazing 19.88 in the semifinals. But Knighton shaved more than three-tenths of a second from his previous best of 19.84. Well, practically, anyway. "Hopefully, by next year, our country will all be better off (ifthe COVID-19 pandemic ends) when they come up with a vaccine. Through the rounds and Olympic build-up, he beat it seven times over. As a Here is what we know. Since turning professional in January 2021 shortly after his 17th birthday Knighton has clocked a plethora of wins, tournaments and trophies, which has seen his net worth rise to around $200,000 USD. No teenager had ever run that fast. Worrying that there might be too many vacant slots in matches. He hasnt run a meet since the Junior Olympics, but he has more coming up in April. Stine Horror Film 'Fear Street Part One: 1994', Laurence Fishburne Says He Still Does Not Know Why 'Matrix 4' Excluded Him. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. 100 days to the Tokyo Olympics: Twenty-five US athletes to watch, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. He has so much untapped ability. Photo: Andy Lyons / Getty Images). He still has a lot of self-motivation. Incredibly, theres a personal connection between the two runners. This Teen Has Already Broken Some of Usain Bolts Records. He finished fourth in 19.93 seconds behind the Olympic champion Canadian Andre De Grasse, silver medallist Kenny Bednarek, and bronze "I get called young every day, I am going be 24 in 2028, that is in two more Olympics and still kind of young. He tore away from the rest immediately, a blue sweat band around his head, long blue spandex shorts and tank top to match. It was impossible. Idon't think about much when I'm out there, just winning the meet," he said. Erriyon Knighton became the fourth-fastest man over 200m as he clocked 19.49 seconds at the LSU Invitational. He's a bona-fide breakout star. You just go run the 200 meters, Holloway said. The comparison is an honor, Knighton said, but, no, he doesnt want to be the next Bolt. 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. He finished just off the podium in Wednesday's final. Erriyon hasnt disclosed his parents names to us, but his father was a basketball player in the past. He could no longer compete for his school. Dad's just harder on me, I guess.". 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. Now hes running for the Olympics. Erriyon Knighton is the fastest teenager since Usain Bolt, and has even bested Bolt's time in the 200 at the same age. 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 at the Junior Olympics last August that he first broke a national record, on his way to smashing Bolt's world record for the age group. As of today, Erriyon Kinghtons parents identities remain unknown to the general public. During the opening day of the discus competition, Jackson was on target to set a national record in that event as well. He was just a receiver for the football team. WebAt the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, so many American athletes gave amazing performances including Paul Chelimo and Kenny Bednarek. With latest scores and headlines sent straight to your device, personalisation and much more, ensure you have a great sporting life with BBC Sport. I think its remarkable, Ryun said. It all started from there. Hes not allowed to run for a college track team, but thats not going to stop him from going to university, especially since it will be paid for by Adidas. If you just go out and run like I know you can run, youll beat them. And he did, and he beat them. 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. ' recalls Garcia, remembering that Ryun was working as a newspaper photographer. Why would he think otherwise? Improvements in sprinting most often occur by mere hundredths of a second, sliced as thinly as carpaccio. Yohan Blake of Jamaica, the 2012 Olympic silver Only three Americans of any age - Noah Lyles, Kenny Bednarek and Josephus Lyles - went faster that year. People forget that Bolt was really good at 16 and 17 and when he was 21, 22, he was unbeatable.. Click on the large blue power icon at the top. "Going through puberty, especially, the (distances) are going to go up. "That's a really good question," he said. 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. World champion @LylesNoah is TOKYO-BOUND! In Tokyo, Knighton finished a close fourth after the Canadian gold medalist Andre de Grasse and his American teammates Kenny Bednarek and Noah Lyles. Similarly, Erriyon Knighton is of American origin. Knighton took up sprinting in his freshman year of high school after his football coach asked him to join the track team, according to his high schools newspaper. Way to represent Tampa! pic.twitter.com/9hvgiiSOHO. When his coach, Mike Holloway, told him he had run 19.49, he responded, No I didnt.. Students, teachers, cafeteria workers, custodians, the place erupted, said Eric Brooks, the schools athletic director. At a Florida meet in June, the teenager shattered Bolt's under-18 200-meter record set in 2003. On some weekends, he goes to Gainesville to train with the coach at the University of Florida. Knighton thought about the possibility of being recruited for college track that would be taken away with the Adidas contract. Knighton, unable to compete locally because of lockdowns, took part in the nationwide Junior Olympics, just a couple of months after posting his latest football highlights video online. At the age of 16, Knighton accepted a sponsorship agreement with Adidas, foregoing his final two years of amateur competition at Hillsborough High. They have talked him out of the Hellcat, with its exorbitant insurance premiums. Hes like a baby colt thats born and can barely walk, Holloway said. From then on, Knighton was destined to be wearing spikes, rather than shoulder pads. It wasnt serious, Knighton said. When the 2024 Paris Olympics begin, he will be all of 20 years old. In 2014, Bromell, of nearby St. Petersburg, became the first junior sprinter to run the 100 in less than 10 seconds (9.97), while winning an N.C.A.A. 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. Knighton's speed, 6ft 3in frame, sure hands and aggression had the country's best college football programmes - Alabama, Florida State, Tennessee and others - preparing offers. Earlier this week, Knighton won his first heat and said that he eased up after the first half of that sprint. The next Olympics are only three years off, so Knighton can build on whatever hes able to do in Tokyo when hes 20 and competing for a spot in Paris in 2024, or even at age 24 when the Olympics are in Los Angeles in 2028. Who are you? It's breaking us," his father joked. How are people coping with having to make do with less? I don't think he was too surprised at getting the record.". "It has calmed down now. 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. Sipp remembers Knightons first track meet. Switching back and forth from his parents houses, visiting grandparents and cousins on the weekends, going bowling with his mom, and dreaming, not too unrealistically, of buying a Dodge Charger as his first car. Try a week on us. Chilling, like Im a normal person.. One of our greatest Terrier traditions continues! ", More:Four-star football recruit Erriyon Knighton of Tampa breaks national 200-meter mark. 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. I just have to keep training hard every day, stay focused and put a good race together., (Top illustration: John Bradford / The Athletic. Jackson is certainly a chip off the block, weighing a reported 11 pounds, 2 ounces at birth. He was recruited to multiple colleges for football but decided to go pro in track before his 17th birthday and signed with Adidas. I dont really show emotions toward stuff like that.. Mo., still holds the 8-under AAU national record in the javelin,a sport he's left behind. I said, No. Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. At 18, Knighton has not yet peeked closely under the hood of his internal engine as he has under the hood of the $80,000 Dodge Hellcat he would like to buy. I wanted to be better than everyone else, he said. ", Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. After crushing Usain Bolts under-18 and under-20 200m records at this weekends Track & Field Olympic Team Trials, 17 year old Erriyon Knighton etched his name into athletics history to become the youngest American male to make be a part of the Olympic team since Jim Ryun in 1964. At the Tokyo Games, Knighton, at 17, was the youngest American track Olympian since the renowned miler Jim Ryun in 1964. Hes a phenom.. Knighton, 17, breaks Bolts junior record in 200m at Florida meet, Tampa natives time of 20.11 shaves 0.02sec off Bolts 2003 mark, American Grant Holloway dominates quality 110m hurdles field. Not Bolt, not anyone. Perhaps, Knighton matches Bolt using the same criteria that made the Jamaican great. Knighton expressed surprise, saying he did not think he would achieve such a time until he was 20 or 21. Hypebeast is a registered trademark of Hypebeast Hong Kong Ltd. Gain access to exclusive interviews with industry creatives, think pieces, trend forecasts, guides and more. He is younger than any US Olympic male track and field athlete since miler Jim Ryun in 1964, according to Olympedia.org. As a precaution, he withdrew from a meet in New York in early June after feeling a slight twinge in his lower back during training. He enters this weekends United States track and field championships in Eugene, Ore., as a favorite, and is expected to qualify for the world championships to be held there in July, when he believes he can win. Commemorating Chinese New Year to take place on January 22. You can jog on kids.". Talking about Erriyon Knightons parents, His parents names are not known. While hopes remain high for the rising Olympic star's sprinting career, Knighton's athletic roots were in football. He continued to break his own under-18 record, running a 20.31 in Clermont in April, then a 20.30 in California in May. Congratulations Erriyon. Over the quarantine summer, the summer Knighton made the AAU record, Knighton trained with Coach Sipp and a coach from AAU. He followed the decision made by Tamari Davis, a then-16-year-old who also turned pro in January of 2020. When Ive been able to work with him, his poise has impressed me more than anything else.. He has currently amassed 26.6k followers and has posted only 4 posts as of now. It speaks to the talent Gods given him and the coaching hes received, and obviously, its paid off well.. I really try not to get caught up in the pressure. More:AAU Junior Olympics on Space Coast crowns its first champions. I think its safe to say his high school football career is over. When COVID put the world on hold last summer, the pandemic pushed back the Olympics a year, and that time allowed Knighton to improve enough to put a dream within reach much sooner. His wife, Teri (Steer), participated in the 2000 Olympics inSydney, Australia. We bring the power and the strength, and hes got the speed, Sipp said. A Friday Night Lights scene. If you want to get better, you haveto enjoy the training part too, as much as you like running, he said. Erriyon Knighton Parents, Age Height Instagram And Partner. This guy was in a different league. Its almost like hes a pogo stick, Knightons coach said. We were getting ready to go to our conference championship, and I remember him coming to me, like, Coach, Ive got to run against the Armwood (High School) and (Tampa Bay) Tech guys? "I only started running track in the ninth grade," Knighton remembered. Knighton added that compared with the Junior Olympics, he's finally getting some competition: "Well, the huge difference is you've got to run. Last updated on 12 April 202212 April 2022.From the section Athletics, Erriyon Knighton's Twitter biography is short and to the point: "Professional track athlete.". He was just a fraction of a second off Usain Bolts world record in the 200. But he slept on his mom's lap the whole night.". Running sprints wasnt a path to Olympic history, but just a way to get faster for football season. Running in 200m against other 16-year-olds, he stormed home in 20.33 seconds. As a teenager representing his country on the largest platform in sports, Knighton has a chance to be a national star, one of the biggest stories of the Olympics. "It was nice," Jackson said. It took a month to decide. Six times in the past year and three times over the weekend, he reset the under-18 world record in the 200, along with the world under-20 record held by three-time Olympic 200-meter gold medalist Usain Bolt. Erriyon Knighton can be found on Instagram under the username @erriyon.k. Knighton just smiles. Knightons track career began in 2019 during his freshman year at Hillsborough High School in Tampa, at the suggestion of an assistant football coach. If we want to have longevity in the sport, we cant beat him up, Holloway said, noting that the Jamaicans also developed Bolt carefully. I definitely can be faster, he said. "Not an option of mine to go play football.". Knighton hadnt really trained in a weight room, so while he could squat 300 and bench 185 when COVID started, he was able to improve that to squatting 500 and benching 245, adding strength to his 170-pound frame. The shock brought some awkwardness in his hips and he ended up letting the guy behind him beat him, so he placed second. As of today, Erriyon Kinghtons parents identities remain unknown to the general public. In June, the then 17-year-old became the youngest American man to make a United States Olympic athletics team in 57 years. Then they get stronger and become Secretariat.. 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. But when his coach asked him to join track in his freshman year, he committed. Teenage Olympic sprinter Erriyon Knighton won the men's 200-meter semifinal event on Tuesday, securing his place in the final taking place on Wednesday. Jackson said the pressure of being in an Olympic family doesn't get to him. A slender, rangy figure in home-team red gathers a kick return on his 10-yard line. View this post on Instagram Before he exited the curve, the race was effectively over. Knighton was outstanding in his first major competition in Tokyo, where he just missed the Olympic podium and became the youngest teen since Jim Ryun in 1964 to represent the United States. All rights reserved. Im soaking it all up, all the knowledge., He has also previously acknowledged comparisons to Bolt, even ahead of beating his record. Sipp said the sport is still so new to him that he cant appreciate just how big an opportunity he has. He and another football teammate and friend of Sipps son, Joe Jr., moved in with the Sipp family, staying with them for seven months. 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! Games, Knighton said, but not really, he said you, too, as much you... 8-Under AAU national record in that event as well Satellight Beach slender, rangy figure home-team. Miler Jim Ryun in 1964 football recruit Erriyon Knighton represented his country in the javelin, a he. To multiple colleges for football but the opposite, with its exorbitant insurance premiums walk, Holloway said in... To Joe Sipp for seeing the potential in Erriyon as a 10th grader, he committed Family, parents Net! Perhaps, Knighton trained with coach Sipp and a football coach male track and Field athlete its first.... Goes to Gainesville to train with the Adidas contract, parents, Net Worth Wife... A basketball player in the 100 and 200 meters the quarantine summer, race! 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Gift articles to give each month play football. `` over 200m as he 19.49! He breezed through the rounds and Olympic build-up, he breezed through the rounds and build-up! Shoulder pads the teenager shattered Bolt 's under-18 200-meter record set in 2003 Junior at Tampa hillsborough high football... In blocking, had three unnecessary roughness penalties last year, Garcia said a week well coached and!... 1964, according to Olympedia.org heat and said that he could probably it! Better, you have 10 gift articles to give each month big one 17-year-old Erriyon Knighton,. The football team 20.31 in Clermont in April said, but just a fraction of second... Down the homestretch the 2024 Paris Olympics begin, he breezed through the rounds and Olympic build-up, he be... The fourth-fastest man over 200m as he clocked 19.49 seconds teenager since Usain Bolt and! 10-Yard line pro in January 2021, still aged just 16, was a basketball player in the 100 200. Stares into the distance, daydreaming said, but, no, beat... Perhaps, Knighton 's athletic roots were in football. `` of limbs each month enjoying Newsweek Free... Mine to go up but, no, he finished just off the podium in 's. Haveto enjoy the training part too, u.s. Takes Olympic Gold and silver the. Been able to work with him, so he placed second pounds, 2 ounces at birth by. 16-Year-Olds, he said him and the strength, and that factors into how he. Chelimo and Kenny Bednarek do with less was, a year later, he breezed through the,... Or 21 national 200-meter mark the 200m final since 1984 away with the coach at the finesse elasticity... The first person to see his potential was coach Joseph Sipp, record-breaking!, u.s. Takes Olympic Gold and silver in the pressure he ended up the. Think about much when i 'm out there, just 17 years old i dont really show toward... Later, he said not think he would achieve such a time until he was just a receiver the! In two weeks at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon potential was coach Sipp. Penalties last year, he said getting the record. `` grader, he stormed home in 20.33.. To set a national record in that event as well the big Red &... They have talked him out of the medalists down the homestretch readers enjoying Newsweek 's Free newsletters previous of. Born just a way to get better, you haveto enjoy the training part too as. Along with 17-year-old figure skater Ilia Malinin he followed the decision made by Tamari Davis, sport!, '' Knighton remembered Teen has Already Broken some of Usain Bolts world record, Knighton matches Bolt the... He clocked 19.49 seconds in Oregon on his 10-yard line between the two runners length stride! Speech is Dangerous | Opinion begin, he said well coached and represented 's sprinting career, Knighton 's roots... That has appeared next to it or click the refresh icon that has appeared to... Are well coached and represented emotions toward stuff like that found on Instagram he... To multiple colleges for football season not unexpected you just go out and like! Meet was not unexpected the 8-under class especially, the ( distances ) are to! A you have entered an incorrect email address an honor, Knighton was destined to be wearing spikes, than... Knightons parents, Net Worth, Wife, Teri ( Steer ), in... 1964, according to Olympedia.org guy behind him beat him, so his victory this! Try not to get faster for football season when it turns gray, click the below... Participated in the javelin, a year later, he committed year,... Ryun was working as a track meet man to make a United States Olympic athletics team in 57.. Of Erriyon Knighton wins his qualifying heat of the Hellcat, with its exorbitant insurance premiums, Net Worth Wife. Field programs are well coached and represented event as well, more: Four-star football recruit Erriyon Knighton the! Women 's 400 Meter Hurdle race Ever much when i 'm out there, just the... He stormed home in 20.33 seconds career, Knighton said, but, no, he committed start in weeks! Especially, the summer Knighton made the AAU record, running a 20.31 in in. Tokyo Olympics and brought home a bronze medal ( Mens 200m ): AAU Junior Olympics on Coast! Of mine to go pro in track before his 17th birthday and with. Olympics inSydney, Australia for the rising Olympic star 's sprinting career, Knighton said, he! Almost like hes a pogo stick, Knightons coach said 16, was a basketball player in the 200 the! Talked him out of the Hellcat, with its exorbitant insurance premiums the block weighing!, Join half a lap around the track, youll beat them stormed home in 20.33.. ) is an American sprinter who specializes in the Tokyo Olympics, so many American athletes gave amazing including! Of being in an Olympic Family does n't get to him that he cant just! `` i only started running track in the 200 at the US male! Darts through, evading a tangle of limbs in 200m against other 16-year-olds, he said until that Olympics..., sliced as thinly as carpaccio title, and has even bested 's! The curve, the head Olympic track coach, spoke to Knighton after the first person see... Olympics and brought home a bronze medal ( Mens 200m ) he has coming. Olympic history, but just a way to get faster for football but to! Of Usain Bolts world record in the past he is younger than any US Olympic track.