Similarly, Erriyon is a good athlete with exceptional stamina. Embedded in the community for over 20 years, we have established ourselves as Floridas primary access to the Caribbean community. As a 10th grader, he was head and shoulders above everybody. ", Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. It wasnt hurting me, I just kept running.. Knighton's decision marks the third time in a year that a high school sprint athlete has turned pro. I feed off of stuff like that.. He still has a lot of self-motivation. According to an HHS Today article from February 2021, Knighton was a receiver for the high school football team. I said, Excuse me. He trusts Coach (Terry) with his life, and thats big. 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.. If we want to have longevity in the sport, we cant beat him up, Holloway said, noting that the Jamaicans also developed Bolt carefully. How are people coping with having to make do with less? Theyre still calling me, longtime Hillsborough football head coach Earl Garcia said Monday. Sipp said the sport is still so new to him that he cant appreciate just how big an opportunity he has. At just 18 years old, the under 20 world record holder is hungry for more, starting with the Lausanne Diamond League His head perfectly still, arms pumping but relaxed, a light wind at his back, Knighton drew away from the field with each long stride. Hes a fun-loving kid to be around. "In other schools in the area, people say to my class-mates 'you go to school with Erriyon', but for people in my school they see me every day, so it ain't nothing.". "After I announced it, I had a lot of people telling me that I shouldn't have done it, that I wasn't ready," Knighton explains. The next day he ran the 100 in 10.29 seconds: a new U.S best time. Its almost like hes a pogo stick, said Holloway, who is the head coach at the University of Florida and was also head coach of the United States track team at the Tokyo Olympics. Erriyon is more concerned with his work than with being involved in a meaningful relationship. But he slept on his mom's lap the whole night.". In the end, he had help from former Hillsborough football and track star Jeremiah Green in making the decision to go ahead and sign. 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. "It has calmed down now. The advantage of being tall, with long legs, allowed Knighton to take fewer strides than shorter sprinters, which delayed his late-race fatigue and permitted him to maintain greater velocity toward the finish line. His father was a He was recruited to multiple colleges for football but decided to go pro in track before his 17th birthday and signed with Adidas. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. I was a little surprised, but not really. U.S. sprinter Erriyon Knighton wins his qualifying heat of the men's 200-meter earlier this week. He could no longer compete for his school. 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. 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. 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. Last night, he only had a 6-ounce steak, but he did have two foot-longs earlier in the day. 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.. TAMPA, Fla. For Erriyon Knighton, the record-breaking speed isnt as incredible as his acceleration to the track worlds elite. News from Hillsborough High School in Tampa, Fla. 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. A slender, rangy figure in home-team red gathers a kick return on his 10-yard line. Only Usain Bolt had ever gone faster at under-18 level. 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. Should Knighton remain healthy and qualify for the world championships in July, he would be expected by many to win a medal, and possibly to finish atop the podium. At the time, Knighton wrote on Instagram I know my potential, I see the greatness in me everytime I see my reflection. He was also a part of the brands Impossible Is Nothing campaign, which launched in April. When Sipp asked Knighton to join the track team, Knighton thought his coach just wanted him to be a faster receiver. He says, though, not much has changed for him personally, except that he gets more respect. Im just being, he said. Erriyon Knighton stands a good 6 foot 3 inches tall and has not stopped growing compared to Bolts 6 foot 5 inches tall. Try a week on us. But I was though, but not really, he said. He was also born in the United States on January 29, 2004. Erriyon Knighton is a male sprinter born to Mrs. Knighton ( Mother ) and Mr. Mrs. I was running what pros were running, Knighton said of his thinking before turning pro in January 2021. The shock brought some awkwardness in his hips and he ended up letting the guy behind him beat him, so he placed second. It was impossible. But his 131 is still a great throw and he's OK with it. 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. 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. But two years ago, he was afraid of the Armwood and Tech guys.. When he joined track as a freshman following his coach's request, he saw it as a training ground that would allow him to be a better football receiver and be able to run quicker on the football field. He watches a lot of film, studies his competitors. 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. Knighton is still learning off the track as well. The first of the horror-thriller trilogy hits the streamer on July 2. The UnitedMasters exec is building a system that puts the power back into the hands of the creators.. "As I grow older I am going to get stronger and faster. "It's the first night, and you know how electrifying the first night of the Olympics is with everything going on," Christian said. Theres no ifs, ands or buts about it. SATELLITE BEACH Whoever coined the phrase "good things come in small packages" never met Jackson Cantwell. Hes Getting Faster. He also broke the Jamaican sprinting legend's under-20 200-meter world record set in 2004 less than a month later at the U.S. Olympic trials, USA Today Sports reported in late June. Knighton is marked, too, by an impressive self-belief for such a young athlete. 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 His training is low volume. I talked to him before the USA Championships, and I said, You have to run the 200 meters. You cant take it as, Oh, my God, I have to win this USA Trials. If you run 200 meters to the best of your ability, youre going to be fine.. Jackson is certainly a chip off the block, weighing a reported 11 pounds, 2 ounces at birth. 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). But there is a link below. Knighton was still weeks away from graduating high school when he ran half a lap around the track in 19.49 seconds, lowering his own world junior record once held by Usain Bolt, at the L.S.U. World champion @LylesNoah is TOKYO-BOUND! Photo: Andy Lyons / Getty Images). And, break a leg, in winning Gold in Tokyo Erriyon! But when his coach asked him to join track in his freshman year, he committed. Sipp said Knighton wasnt expecting much of himself. A final defender comes haring across, all pumping thighs and straining arms. Hes got goals outside of running. He was a really nice fellow, would talk about how he ran in the morning before he got to work, then would do his heavy work in the evenings.. 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. Required fields are marked *, John Walker Jul 28, 2021 at 2:49 pm. "Right now, I guess you'd call it asemi-normal diet," Christian said. 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. 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. 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. 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 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. 17-year-old Erriyon Knighton is the youngest male Olympian to make the 200m final since 1984. CNW Network is South Floridas number one Caribbean news network that comprises of CaribbeanNationalWeekly.com, National Weekly newspaper and CNW TV. "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. 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. Go, Big Red Track & Field! 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. Hes a phenom.. Southeastern Conference powers including Georgia and Alabama showed interest. The biggest thing is dont let the experience overwhelm you, and at the same time, enjoy it.. 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. When asked by Florida Today which athlete he considers himself most similar to, he responded, Probably Usain Bolt, just because hes tall like me.. Invitational in Baton Rouge, La. Your email address will not be published. The seven-time NCAA All-American, who first went toMissouri on basically a $400 scholarship, has a personal-best mark of 22.54 meters, or 73-11, in the shot put. 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. 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. Hes just doing an amazing job, and the world is just starting to see what hes able to do in track and field.. "The shot put finals are always on that first night. Two and a half years ago, hed never been in a track meet. As a wide receiver, he reportedly received offers to play for college football powers Alabama, Florida and Florida State. He is younger than any US Olympic male track and field athlete since miler Jim Ryun in 1964, according to Olympedia.org. Over the quarantine summer, the summer Knighton made the AAU record, Knighton trained with Coach Sipp and a coach from AAU. But hes got a name that sounds like itd belong to someone fast, Erriyon Knighton. According to NBC, he became the youngest male track athlete to reach the final of an individual Olympic race in 125 years. "I get called young every day, I am going be 24 in 2028, that is in two more Olympics and still kind of young. Mo., still holds the 8-under AAU national record in the javelin,a sport he's left behind. "He was warning up at 140. Now everyone just walks past me just like, 'Hey, Erriyon'. In an exclusive interview with Hypebeast, Smith discussed the new documentary and reflected on his bond with the shoes that bear his name. Part of my scholarship was sweeping up the locker room, and there was this guy in the whirlpool. Yohan Blake of Jamaica, the 2012 Olympic silver Knighton is qualified to race at the US Olympic trials that start in two weeks at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. Some goes to his phone bill and some to his mom. Click the icon of the ad-blocker extension installed on your browser. "Going through puberty, especially, the (distances) are going to go up. And plenty were watching. If you just go out and run like I know you can run, youll beat them. And he did, and he beat them. That doesnt mean he doesnt goof around in class though. Tokyo 2020 marks Knighton's first Olympic Games. Months later, he finished fourth in the 200 at the Tokyo Olympics, so his victory at this low-key meet was not unexpected. 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.". "It could have gone differently if high school season was still going," he told BBC Sport. The home team holler on the touchline as their man's easy, fluid stride eats up the field and carries him to the endzone. It wouldve been good for silver in 2004 and gold in 2000. 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. Running in 200m against other 16-year-olds, he stormed home in 20.33 seconds. I wouldnt let him play football now, but if he wasnt an Olympian, he could make a lot of money in football.. Erriyon Knighton, a 17-year-old whose 19.88 in the semifinals broke Bolts under-20 record, took third with a time of 19.84. Talking about Erriyon Knightons parents, His parents names are not known. I just have to keep training hard every day, stay focused and put a good race together., (Top illustration: John Bradford / The Athletic. His start was flawed and he could not match the power of the medalists down the homestretch. If he can repeat his 19.84 time, that would have been good enough to medal in each of the last five Olympics. 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. Erriyon hasnt disclosed his parents names to us, but his father was a I think about that all the time. Knighton chose to turn professional while a junior at Tampa Hillsborough High School. It all started from there. Knighton just smiles. As a 16-year-old at the 2020 Junior Olympics, Knighton ran the 100 in 10.29 and the 200 in 20.33 a national age group record. You dont put a label or a title on the meet. Running in 200m against other 16-year-olds, he stormed home in 20.33 seconds. Damian Warner Wife/Girlfriend Jennifer Cotten Are They Married? 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