The next Usain Bolt? Erriyon Knighton runs 200m in 20.33 seconds, smashing AAU national record
Putting a Usain Bolt comparison on a 16-year-old kid doesn’t seem fair, but Erriyon Knighton might be worthy of that praise. Knighton smashed an AAU 200m national record Friday, running the event in just 20.33 seconds.
That’s exceptionally fast, but in case you needed proof, here you go:
Erriyon Knighton ran a wind legal U.S. No. 1 in 20.33 AND set a new 200m national record. Did we mention this is the 15-16-year-old age group?😱🤯 He's unbelievable! https://t.co/S1hmkVn34K pic.twitter.com/7BSI2IFKWw
— FloTrack (@FloTrack) August 7, 2020
While the Bolt comparison is extreme — Bolt has won 8 Olympic gold medals after all — Knighton put himself in Bolt’s stratosphere with that 20.33 performance. Bolt ran a 20.13 a month before he turned 17, according to David Woods of the Indy Star, so Knighton still has some work to do if he wants to match Bolt.
Erriyon Knighton has football offer from FSU
If the whole track and field thing doesn’t work out for Knighton, his speed could be useful on the football field. At least one school agrees, as Knighton — who is also a wide receiver at Hillsborough High School in Florida — already has a football offer from Florida State. Knighton won’t graduate high school until 2022.
More from Yahoo Sports: