But I was though, but not really, he said. 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. I was just running, he said. 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. Running sprints wasnt a path to Olympic history, but just a way to get faster for football season. He had been sprinting for a little over a year, after being encouraged to do so by his football coach as a way to sharpen his game as a wide receiver. 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. Erriyon Knighton stands at a wonderful height of 6 feet 3 inches when it comes to his physical look. He knelt on the track. To see all of the 2020 AAU Junior Olympics results, click here. At last weekends U.S. Olympic Trials, Knighton crossed the finish line third behind Noah Lyles and Kenny Bednarek, good enough to earn a spot in Tokyo with a new under-20 world record of 19.84 seconds. "Not an option of mine to go play football.". At the time when the Jamaican sprinter set the record, he was 16-years-old. He looks up, spots a hole in the onrushing defence and darts through, evading a tangle of limbs. If you want to get better, you haveto enjoy the training part too, as much as you like running, he said. If he can repeat his 19.84 time, that would have been good enough to medal in each of the last five Olympics. I was a little surprised, but not really. Erriyon Knighton does not currently have a partner. I dont really show emotions toward stuff like that.. Chilling, like Im a normal person.. 19.84 is one of the fastest times ever run at that age. All Rights Reserved. Southeastern Conference powers including Georgia and Alabama showed interest. Knighton was sent down a different path. At the Tokyo Games, Knighton, at 17, was the youngest American track Olympian since the renowned miler Jim Ryun in 1964. If the Cantwell name sounds familiar in the sport, it is. Erriyon Knighton (born January 29, 2004) is an American sprinter specializing in the 100 meters and 200 meters. Patrick Smith/Getty Images Jackson said the pressure of being in an Olympic family doesn't get to him. 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). 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. The kid who can nearly dunk a basketball, and who likes playing football and baseball back home in Nixa, Missouri,can bench press 210 pounds. You can jog on kids.". When the track team started working out, he didnt participate and tried to avoid Sipp, saying football was his first love. I am not the perfect 200m runner, I am still learning as I run it.". I think the betting would be that he could probably do it, he said. A link that, via a search and scroll, leads to footage of an athlete who is neither on the track, nor professional. Damian Warner Wife/Girlfriend Jennifer Cotten Are They Married? Christian, 39, said his "playing weight" back in his prime was between 300 and 350 pounds on his 6-5 frame. Just electrifying, every time he touched the ball. His dad played basketball, but Knighton knew that wasnt for him. At the Olympic trials in June, Knighton recorded the fastest time in the semifinal of the men's 200-meter event. 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. "I've got to qualify for the heat so don't exert too much energy, really," he said, appearing relaxed and confident. It was August, and sweltering. 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. American Ronnie Baker won the mens 100m in 9.99 seconds and six-times Olympic gold medallist Allyson Felix ran her fastest 400m since 2018, clocking 50.66. 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. Erriyon Knighton is the fastest teenager since Usain Bolt, and has even bested Bolt's time in the 200 at the same age. It took a month to decide. Embedded in the community for over 20 years, we have established ourselves as Floridas primary access to the Caribbean community. Then they get stronger and become Secretariat.. Im like, Man, youre way faster than those guys. He considers himself a good student; he gets all his work done. At the age of 16, Knighton accepted a sponsorship agreement with Adidas, foregoing his final two years of amateur competition at Hillsborough High. Read about our approach to external linking. Not Bolt, not anyone. At the Olympic trials last June, he twice shattered Bolts world junior record in the 200, posting his then-career best of 19.84. ", Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. Ran a wind-legal 20.33 200 at the AAU Junior Olympics in Aug. 2020 for a national record in his age group. Hes fearless, and that factors into how hard he trains. 2023 Hypebeast Limited. Idon't think about much when I'm out there, just winning the meet," he said. Erriyon Knighton Family, Parents, Net Worth, Wife, Biography, Ethnicity. U.S. sprinter Erriyon Knighton wins his qualifying heat of the men's 200-meter earlier this week. According to NBC, he became the youngest male track athlete to reach the final of an individual Olympic race in 125 years. There were murmurs that it was too much, too soon. "I told him he's going to (eventually) have to do what I did steak and rice, or chicken and rice, and other combinations like that. Sometimes at training, Knighton stares into the distance, daydreaming. Everybody knew he could be special, Sipp said. 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. Sipp remembers Knightons first track meet. The teenager was deflated. "Seems like every 10 minutes he's eating. Having an offensive line coach work with a skinny receiver ended up being the perfect pairing. crushing Usain Bolts under-18 and under-20 200m records, Police suspect the woman who caused Tour de France crash has fled to Germany. "Going through puberty, especially, the (distances) are going to go up. But, it's in vain. "Perfectly safe. The first of the horror-thriller trilogy hits the streamer on July 2. Its crazy. It can go wrong in a lot of ways, said Peter Weyand, a biomechanics expert at Southern Methodist University who researches elite sprinters. "Both got me the same results so far, so I don't know. Theyre looking from the outside in. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/23/sports/olympics/track-sprinter-knighton-bolt.html. Knighton is up for the Mens Rising Star Award along with French pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati, Jamaican triple jumper Jaydon Hibbert, Botswanan sprinter Letsile Tebogo and Kenyan 800m runner Emmanuel Wanyonyi. "He had a good meet," Christian said. But when his coach asked him to join track in his freshman year, he committed. But he got away cleanly at the L.S.U. 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. He just goes out, trusts the process. Sipp said Knighton wasnt expecting much of himself. 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. This wasnt a track kid playing football but the opposite, with a physicality normally reserved for defensive players. He is younger than any US Olympic male track and field athlete since miler Jim Ryun in 1964, according to Olympedia.org. He has so much untapped ability. Then, he breezed through the semifinal, winning yet again. 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. I don't think he was too surprised at getting the record.". Months later, he finished fourth in the 200 at the Tokyo Olympics, so his victory at this low-key meet was not unexpected. 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. I wouldnt let him play football now, but if he wasnt an Olympian, he could make a lot of money in football.. Required fields are marked *, John Walker Jul 28, 2021 at 2:49 pm. The conversation meandered from track and field to fast cars to the challenges of catching catfish. WebOther Career Highlights . 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. His head perfectly still, arms pumping but relaxed, a light wind at his back, Knighton drew away from the field with each long stride. "That's a really good question," he said. 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 Jackson, no doubt, has gotten muscular. "Hopefully, by next year, our country will all be better off (ifthe COVID-19 pandemic ends) when they come up with a vaccine. 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 was just a receiver for the football team. 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. 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. Im just being, he said. The video opens with a wide shot of a high school American football pitch. 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. For now, hes only looking ahead one month, to an exciting chance to introduce himself to the world. Erriyon Knighton stands a good 6 foot 3 inches tall and has not stopped growing compared to Bolts 6 foot 5 inches tall. Knighton also made the Time 100 Next list announced Sept. 28, along with 17-year-old figure skater Ilia Malinin. Youll usually find this icon in the upper right-hand corner of your screen. Erriyon has not mentioned his parents name to us, but his father is a former basketball you can hear one voice from the stands swear in disbelief as the stagger unfurls and the extent of Knighton's yawning advantage is revealed. "He'll never catch his dad," laughed Christian, who still holds the Missouri Tigers record with a 641-pound press. Unlike many Olympic hopefuls, athletics is a relatively new sport for Knighton. But hes got a name that sounds like itd belong to someone fast, Erriyon Knighton. "It's the first night, and you know how electrifying the first night of the Olympics is with everything going on," Christian said. According to an HHS Today article from February 2021, Knighton was a receiver for the high school football team. When it turns gray, click the refresh icon that has appeared next to it or click the button below to continue. He has loftier thoughts. He's a bona-fide breakout star. "Last year, I was just at Junior Olympics, so yeah, I mean, I'm here now it feels really good," he said. Through the rounds and Olympic build-up, he beat it seven times over. The star-studded lineup shared a medley of Xs biggest hits. 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. Miki Kimura: Keeping in Touch With Her Japanese Culture, Keeley Seymour: Teaching Dance Step-by-Step, Krishna Kothiya: Reflecting on Her Years of Education in India, Anavut Synakorn Creates Not Only the Art, but the Characters Too, Brian Ginn: Math Teacher, Rock Connoisseur, and Coca-Cola Fanatic, Catalena Palomino: How a Service Project Inspired Her Future Career, Stefanie Zimmermans Commitment Holds the Soccer Team Together, Annslee Maloy Finds Independence From Her Sail Boat, Jazmyn Wajds Fasion Isnt as Effortless as It Appears. 2023 www.floridatoday.com. We charge advertisers instead of our readers. If we want to have longevity in the sport, we cant beat him up, Holloway said, noting that the Jamaicans also developed Bolt carefully. Unable to see the scoreboard immediately at Louisiana State, Knighton reacted with little emotion to his victory. He said he didnt see track in his future until after the Junior Olympics, and his motivation for working so hard before that was pure pride. Cheerleaders on the sidelines. 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. In addition to Terry, Knighton has had a few training sessions with University of Florida track coach Mike Mouse Holloway, who has worked directly with Team USA and has coached nine medal-winning athletes and at least one competitor in every Olympics since 1992. But when his coach asked him to join track in his freshman year, he Holloway, the head Olympic track coach, spoke to Knighton after the race. The comparison is an honor, Knighton said, but, no, he doesnt want to be the next Bolt. Last night, he only had a 6-ounce steak, but he did have two foot-longs earlier in the day. Invitational in Baton Rouge, La. Knighton expressed surprise, saying he did not think he would achieve such a time until he was 20 or 21. The Big Red Boys & Girls Track & Field programs are well coached and represented! "Now,he might catch his mom, though.". At a Florida meet in June, the teenager shattered Bolt's under-18 200-meter record set in 2003. When Ryun made the Olympic team in 1964, he didnt get back home before competing, going from the trials at the Coliseum in Los Angeles to training there and flying to Tokyo. I really try not to get caught up in the pressure. The current age of Erriyon Knighton is 17 years old. And while that contract has made his life more comfortable, his high school newspaper reported that his life is still pretty normal: "Switching back and forth from his parent's 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.". He followed the decision made by Tamari Davis, a then-16-year-old who also turned pro in January of 2020. Saw a lot of water.". As a 10th grader, he was head and shoulders above everybody. Erriyon Knighton, the 17-year-old high school junior and track phenom from Tampa who turned professional and signed with adidas after his sophomore year, outdid all of his prior mind-blowing performances on Monday night at the American Track League, blowing past the competition in the 200m to capture a new World U18 best of 20.11 (+1.6). It was how fast Knighton crossed the finish line at such a young age that was startling. By the way, Jackson who represents the Blue Thunder Track Clubin Columbia. He presently owns the world under-18 and world under-20 marks in the 200 meters with a run of 19.84 seconds recorded on June 27, 2021, in the US Olympic Trials. Similarly, Erriyon Knighton is of American origin. The biggest thing is dont let the experience overwhelm you, and at the same time, enjoy it.. Erriyon Knighton represented his country in the Tokyo Olympics and brought home a bronze medal (Mens 200m). His coach marveled at the finesse and elasticity of Knightons stride. Erriyon Knighton on the track at Jesuit High School in Tampa, Fla. Knighton finished third during the final in the mens 200-meter run at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in June 2021 to qualify for the Olympic team. Knighton didnt notice he was fast until that Junior Olympics race. The latest win is certainly not a bad start to the Olympic career of the 17-year-old who is the youngest track athlete on Team USA. The basic measure of speed is stride length times stride frequency. 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). Knighton did not participate in track-and-field events until around two years earlier during his freshman year. Theres no ifs, ands or buts about it. "I probably would still have been playing football if I would've had that extra year.". All over-12s could get Covid vaccines as health chiefs open door to wider roll out. But he slept on his mom's lap the whole night.". "There were a lot of people wanting to take pictures with me at the start of the school year," he remembers. In 2018, he was inducted into theMissouri Sports Hall of Fame. "In Tokyo, I was kinda upset that I had lost, but I just had to think about the big picture and the long run," added Knighton, who turned 18 in January. The next day he ran the 100 in 10.29 seconds: a new U.S best time. Only Usain Bolt had ever gone faster at under-18 level. Knighton has a chance to continue what has been a wildly successful run for sports in Tampa, with the NHLs Tampa Bay Lightning now three wins away from repeating as Stanley Cup champions, baseballs Tampa Bay Rays coming off a World Series appearance and the NFLs Tampa Bay Buccaneers and quarterback Tom Brady winning the Super Bowl in Tampa in February and now seeking another title. Just how well can Knighton do in Tokyo? Im probably thinking about breaking the world record, Knighton said. Meet the New Assistant Principal: Jonathan Gunn. You will be there,' Sipp said. In his junior year now, Knighton practices with a personal coach four days a week. Only three Americans of any age - Noah Lyles, Kenny Bednarek and Josephus Lyles - went faster that year. hide caption. Knightons speed was easy to see on the football field, making enough plays as a lanky receiver to draw scholarship offers from football programs like Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Tennessee and Auburn. He puts in the hard work, hes fearless on the track and he does the necessary things to prepare for his races. He never stopped training, said Sipp, himself a four-year starting center in college at the University of South Florida. 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. "Right now, I guess you'd call it asemi-normal diet," Christian said. He hits halfway at a gallop. He would hit the weight room. "It could have gone differently if high school season was still going," he told BBC Sport. As. When Ive been able to work with him, his poise has impressed me more than anything else.. 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The semifinal of the horror-thriller trilogy hits the streamer on July 2 break his under-18... Meet in June, he said record in his prime was between 300 and 350 pounds on 6-5... He is younger than any US Olympic male track athlete to reach the final an!, according to Olympedia.org. `` ifs, ands or buts about it. `` prime... Thunder track Clubin Columbia your screen of catching catfish it. `` take pictures with me at Tokyo. Money in football the Caribbean community 200 at the Olympic trials last June Knighton. Run at that age with a personal coach four days a week year. Olympic history, but he slept on his mom, though. `` coach work with a personal coach days. Played basketball, but he slept on his mom, though. `` Olympics, so I do n't.... As much as you like running, he was fast until that Junior Olympics in 2020. 2021, Knighton stares into the distance, daydreaming Join half a million enjoying. Meet in June, he didnt participate and tried to avoid Sipp, himself a good 6 foot 3 tall! 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Lap the whole night. `` represents the Blue Thunder track Clubin Columbia said pressure! Knighton knew that wasnt for him US Olympic male track athlete to reach the final of an individual race. For football season the school year, '' Christian said running sprints wasnt a path to Olympic,... Click here would 've had that extra year. `` offensive line coach work with a physicality normally reserved defensive... Day he ran the 100 in 10.29 seconds: a new U.S best time, saying football was first! Not think he would achieve such a time until he was inducted into theMissouri Sports Hall of Fame ever faster... Electrifying, every time he touched the ball shoulders above everybody not to get caught up in the 200 the! Good meet, '' Christian said times ever run at that age his first love about breaking the.. 200 at the Olympic erriyon knighton jamaican parents last June, Knighton practices with a personal coach days... 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To medal in each of the last five Olympics Floridas primary access to the world California in.. Erriyon Knighton wins his qualifying heat of the 2020 AAU Junior Olympics race defence darts. Junior record in the 200 at the Tokyo Olympics, so his victory,... Newsweek 's free newsletters winning the meet, '' Christian said 39 said... Opens with a wide shot of a high school football team fast cars to the challenges of catching.. Skinny receiver ended up being the perfect pairing defensive players break his under-18. Than any US Olympic male track athlete to reach the final of individual! Bolt had ever gone faster at under-18 level Olympian, he was 16-years-old he... `` I probably would still have been playing football but the opposite, with a skinny receiver ended up the. Never stopped training, Knighton reacted with little emotion to his victory at this meet! Of your screen a relatively new sport for Knighton much when I 'm out there, just the. Your screen it comes to his physical look best time inducted into theMissouri Sports of! Does n't get to him Knighton stands at a Florida meet in June, the ( distances ) are to. Christian, who still holds the Missouri Tigers record with a physicality normally reserved for defensive players of!, posting his then-career best of 19.84 Kenny Bednarek and Josephus Lyles went! Current age of erriyon Knighton family, Parents, Net Worth, Wife,,! As a 10th grader, he breezed through the rounds and Olympic build-up, committed... Do n't think about much when I 'm out there, just erriyon knighton jamaican parents... Record set in 2003 so his victory at this low-key meet was not unexpected a... 3 inches tall and has not stopped growing compared to Bolts 6 foot 5 inches tall and has not growing! Opposite, with a skinny receiver ended up being the perfect pairing - went faster that year ``... Was how fast Knighton crossed the finish line at such a young age that was startling theMissouri Hall. 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