Erriyon Knighton is only 18-years-old, but he’s already being held at the same standard as Usain Bolt, an eight-time Olympic gold medalist. The young Floridan teenager is scary fast. Although he’s still young, he currently owns the under-18 and under-20 200-meter records. Considering everything he’s achieved at such a young age, it’s no wonder Knighton is becoming  a news sensation. Despite being formerly believed to be impossible, many avid racing enthusiasts have begun discussing the possibility of Knighton breaking the 200m world record of the Olympic sprint legend, Usain Bolt.

Four years ago, at the beginning of high school, track and field wasn’t even on Knighton’s mind.

“You could have asked me what the 100m was and I wouldn’t have known. I knew nothing about track,” Knighton remarked.  

Back then, the only thing the teenager was focused on was American football, playing wide receiver for his high school team. With his ideal height of 6’3 and weight of 170 lbs, Knighton was capable of thriving in football, but his aspirations soon changed when his coach timed him for the 200m. 

After this one run, his coach realized his potential in track and field and advised him to concentrate on track. 

“I only started running track in the ninth grade [when the season began],” Knighton reminisced. “By the end of that year, I realized that I was kind of separated from the pack and faster than most people.”

What followed was the exponential rise in his new sport. During June 2021, at 17-years-old, he made the USA Olympic team, becoming the youngest American male to reach that feat in 57 years. By the end of the Olympics, Knighton was able to secure 4th place in the 200m and beat Bolt’s under-18 record multiple times. 

Fast-forward to a year later, Knighton was hard at work once again. Setting a time of 19.49 seconds at the Louisiana State University (LSU) Invitational, he obilerated the previous best record set by Bolt–earning himself the under-20 200-meter record, placing as the 4th fastest man in the 200-meter. 

Can Knighton really surpass the Olympic legend, Usain Bolt, in current records? Knighton’s personal record of 19.49 seconds makes him the 8th fastest man in history. Eight doesn’t sound as nice as one or two, but considering his age, Knighton has produced better results at a significantly younger age compared to his rivals.  

The competitive rivalry between Knighton and a rival has the potential to last for years to come. Knighton stole the headlines when he became the 4th fastest man in the 200m history at the LSU Invitational. However, who was the fourth fastest man prior to that day? 25-year-old Noah Lyles. 

Although Lyles redeemed himself by winning the 2022 Diamond League and becoming the 3rd fastest man in the 200m history, this hasn’t discouraged Knighton. His loss against Lyles has only motivated him to strive to work on himself to further improve his running. 

“You still [got to] stay hungry and want more,” announced Knighton.

Though Knighton didn’t win first, he still gained invaluable championship experience and his hunger for more only demonstrates his dedication and motivation.

“Although I’m not involved in track [or cross country], I’ve been keeping up with the Track and Field [events] in the Olympics,” mentioned Arcadia High School’s junior Vanessa Chen. “Seeing Knighton lose against Lyles during the 2022 Diamond League saddened me, but I felt empowered when he didn’t allow his loss to define him. Momentarily, he felt mad and sad, but once his emotions were intact, he showed sportsmanship and only vowed to improve.” 

The current world record, held by Usain Bolt, is 19.19 seconds and was set back in 2009 when Bolt was 22-years-old. At 17-years-old, Knighton’s previous best time of 19.93 is only 0.09 seconds slower than Bolt’s. It took Bolt until 20-years-old to achieve a time faster than 19.75 seconds, so considering Knighton’s rapid progression in speed, there’s a possibility he could beat the world record. 

Between the ages of 17 and 18-years-old, Knighton improved his 200m time by a whopping 0.35 seconds. As for Bolt, he was 21-years-old when he set a time lower than the current record of 19.49 seconds held by 17-year-old Knighton. 

“Running the 200m as a 1st place Frosh/Soph [runner] in the 2022 Pacific League Finals, with a time of 24.30 seconds, I feel that Knighton is very inspirational to me. Obtaining the fourth-fastest worldwide time of 19.49 seconds at only 18-years-old motivates me to strive to improve as well,” stated Arcadia High School’s sophomore Gibran Roslan. “Track is one of my main priorities and I always persevere to achieve better than before, so knowing that a teenager is close to ‘doing the impossible’ comforts me to believe that anything is possible.”

Currently striving towards becoming an Olympic champion, Knighton has plenty of time on his hands. 

“I get called young everyday,” Knighton stated. “I am going to be 24 in 2028, that is in two more Olympics and still kind of young. I think about that all the time.”

At the rate he’s improving, the world may even see a glimpse of the “impossible” sooner than anyone could’ve imagined. 

Erriyon Knighton, remember the name! 

Photo courtesy of COMMONS.WIKIMEDIA.ORG