Now hes running for the Olympics. He thought he could win. Erriyon Knighton can be found on Instagram under the username @erriyon.k. TAMPA, Fla. For Erriyon Knighton, the record-breaking speed isnt as incredible as his acceleration to the track worlds elite. Similarly, Erriyon is a good athlete with exceptional stamina. Stay updated on the latest news with our carefully curated newsletters, Discover the latest news and more with instant updates, Who is Erriyon Knighton? Erriyon Knighton, left, chose to turn professional while a junior at Tampa Hillsborough High School. 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. Then, he breezed through the semifinal, winning yet again. 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. But he got away cleanly at the L.S.U. Yohan Blake of Jamaica, the 2012 Olympic silver Erriyon Knighton is an American runner who broke the record set by the legendary runner Usain Bolt in the 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. 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. At the age of 18, he won the bronze medal in the 200 m at the 2022 World Athletics Championships, becoming the youngest ever individual sprint medalist in Championships history. I think its safe to say his high school football career is over. The teenager was deflated. Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. But when he took off from the line, he was in first, and he was surprised. 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. Hed line up as quarterback and nobody could catch him, and hed laugh., 17-year-old Erriyon Knighton and @LylesNoah lead the second 200m semi of the night @usatf | #TrackFieldTrials21 x #TokyoOlympics, NBC / https://t.co/X4DjdJu4po pic.twitter.com/336j9Tgtsa, #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) June 27, 2021. 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. 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 Im soaking it all up, all the knowledge., He has also previously acknowledged comparisons to Bolt, even ahead of beating his record. Two months after graduating from high school, US sprinter Erriyon Knighton stood on the podium in Oregon having become the youngest men's 200m runner ever to medal at a World Athletics Championships. Ryun would run in three Olympics for the United States, winning a silver medal in the 1,500 meters in 1968. A link that, via a search and scroll, leads to footage of an athlete who is neither on the track, nor professional. "I'm getting there," said Jackson, who a year ago waited until his final throw to clinch the national shot put title with a personal-best throw of45-2.25. Through the rounds and Olympic build-up, he beat it seven times over. Follow the instructions for disabling the ad blocker on the site youre viewing. 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. He hasnt run a meet since the Junior Olympics, but he has more coming up in April. He considers himself a good student; he gets all his work done. As a wide receiver, he reportedly received offers to play for college football powers Alabama, Florida and Florida State. 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. "It could have gone differently if high school season was still going," he told BBC Sport. Knighton's decision marks the third time in a year that a high school sprint athlete has turned pro. "You're running against grown men, so you've got to do everything you can to beat them," he said. He not only won the 200 meters, but did so in 20.33 seconds, breaking the national under-18 record that had been in place since 2001, nearly three years before he was born. Knightons mother wasnt surprised either. 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. 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.. 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. He thinks it would be much harder for him to keep working if he didnt. It wasnt hurting me, I just kept running.. Already whitelisted us? He starts his day with like 10 eggs in the morning and likes a pound of ribeye every night. He just goes out, trusts the process. 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. "Not an option of mine to go play football.". 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. Last night, he only had a 6-ounce steak, but he did have two foot-longs earlier in the day. 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. He leaves biomechanics to his coaches. But a thunderstorm in the middle of his performance delayed the meet, and conditions never were the same, especially trying to get a feel for the moist concrete under his feet. When it turns gray, click the refresh icon that has appeared next to it or click the button below to continue. We would go out and run. During the opening day of the discus competition, Jackson was on target to set a national record in that event as well. 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. He was very aggressive in blocking, had three unnecessary roughness penalties last year, Garcia said. You will be there,' Sipp said. I really try not to get caught up in the pressure. Some people dont know whats going on they think I dropped out of high school, but I be here everyday, he said. Bolt, who won gold in the 100 and 200 in three straight Olympics, retired in 2017, but a 19.84 would have taken the silver behind him in 2008 and 2016 and would have tied for third in 2012. Maybe it was a good thing. It wasnt serious, Knighton said. 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. 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. ' recalls Garcia, remembering that Ryun was working as a newspaper photographer. As a Instead, as school gridiron grew cold amid an enforced shutdown, a 16-year-old Knighton focused on his side hustle: track. He is younger than any US Olympic male track and field athlete since miler Jim Ryun in 1964, according to Olympedia.org. "Both got me the same results so far, so I don't know. Knighton doesnt love running, but he likes it. Some goes to his phone bill and some to his mom. At just 18 years old, the under 20 world record holder is hungry for more, starting with the Lausanne Diamond League It all started from there. Youll usually find this icon in the upper right-hand corner of your screen. I thought if I got a little more training, I could be one of them.. You can jog on kids.". Way to represent Tampa! pic.twitter.com/9hvgiiSOHO. 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? But I was though, but not really, he said. He could no longer take up university scholarship offers. I dont really show emotions toward stuff like that.. "By the end of that year, I realised that I was kind of separated from the pack and faster than most people.". When his coach, Mike Holloway, told him he had run 19.49, he responded, No I didnt.. Erriyon Knighton competing in round one of the men's 200-meter heats on August 3, 2021 at Tokyo 2020. Talking about Erriyon Knightons parents, His parents names are not known. I thought if I got a little more training, I could be one of them.. He knew he had run fast, but he did not yet know that his result was surpassed only by three of the greatest sprinters of all time Bolt of Jamaica, the three-time Olympic champion at 200 meters who holds the senior world record of 19.19 seconds; Yohan Blake of Jamaica, the 2012 Olympic silver medalist with a personal best of 19.26; and Michael Johnson of the United States, who won at the 1996 Olympics in 19.32. 20.33 seconds is a short amount of time to change somebodys life. And, with his recent signing with Adidas, he has more money than hes ever had, most of which goes into the bank. Im probably thinking about breaking the world record, Knighton said. He remembers hearing people cheering, and that it helped. This summer, another stage beckons, a home World Championships in Oregon. 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. At the Olympic trials last June, he twice shattered Bolts world junior record in the 200, posting his then-career best of 19.84. Erriyon Knighton is a male sprinter born to Mrs. Knighton ( Mother ) and Mr. Mrs. He was just a receiver for the football team. To see all of the 2020 AAU Junior Olympics results, click here. Southeastern Conference powers including Georgia and Alabama showed interest. He has loftier thoughts. 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. 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. 19.84 is one of the fastest times ever run at that age. "Perfectly safe. 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. 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. 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. Before he exited the curve, the race was effectively over. Photo: Andy Lyons / Getty Images). 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. She was a two-time NCAA shot put champion at SMU but could not make this trip,staying hometo provide medicine for their 17-year-old dachshund, Ali, who has Alzheimer's. Asked whether a college football career could be in the cards, the teenage sprinter said: "Nah," the Associated Press reported in late June. Tokyo 2020 marks Knighton's first Olympic Games. Knighton did not participate in track-and-field events until around two years earlier during his freshman year. "I've got to qualify for the heat so don't exert too much energy, really," he said, appearing relaxed and confident. But Knighton shaved more than three-tenths of a second from his previous best of 19.84. I definitely can be faster, he said. He watches a lot of film, studies his competitors. Anyone can read what you share. He also marked his personal-best record of 19.88 seconds in a heat that included world champion Noah Lyles, another Team USA athlete heading to the 200-meter final at Tokyo 2020. I don't think he was too surprised at getting the record.". Erriyon Knighton, just out of high school, has already lowered Bolts world junior record in the 200 meters. 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 says, though, not much has changed for him personally, except that he gets more respect. Embedded in the community for over 20 years, we have established ourselves as Floridas primary access to the Caribbean community. "That Tokyo experience is something no-one can ever take from you, I will always have that experience. Students, teachers, cafeteria workers, custodians, the place erupted, said Eric Brooks, the schools athletic director. WebTwo-sport athlete in football and track. Hes Getting Faster. Jackson said the pressure of being in an Olympic family doesn't get to him. The home team holler on the touchline as their man's easy, fluid stride eats up the field and carries him to the endzone. Erriyon Knighton Family, Parents, Net Worth, Wife, Biography, Ethnicity. You may have more than one ad-blocker installed. Hes like a baby colt thats born and can barely walk, Holloway said. All Rights Reserved. But his decision to turn professional in January 2021, still aged just 16, was a big one. Sports Science Is Changing How Female Olympians Train. But his 131 is still a great throw and he's OK with it. SATELLITE BEACH Whoever coined the phrase "good things come in small packages" never met Jackson Cantwell. "It's the first night, and you know how electrifying the first night of the Olympics is with everything going on," Christian said. But international expectation is a heavy weight to put on the narrow shoulders of a teenage sprinter, no matter how precocious. He has run only four races this season. He looks up, spots a hole in the onrushing defence and darts through, evading Joe Sipp remembers first seeing Knighton the summer before his freshman year at Hillsborough, when he attended a conditioning workout for football players. Knighton is self-assured, diligent and fearless, unmoved by fame, his coaches said. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Knighton thought about the possibility of being recruited for college track that would be taken away with the Adidas contract. He has done relatively little weight lifting yet to fill out his 164-pound frame. ' he said. 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). I feed off of stuff like that.. We bring the power and the strength, and hes got the speed, Sipp said. Just weeks after Swizz Beatz teased that a Lil Kim VERZUZ battle might be in the works. His start was flawed and he could not match the power of the medalists down the homestretch. Commemorating Chinese New Year to take place on January 22. Knighton just smiles. 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. Christian, 39, said his "playing weight" back in his prime was between 300 and 350 pounds on his 6-5 frame. As of today, Erriyon Kinghtons parents identities remain unknown to the general public. The Big Red Boys & Girls Track & Field programs are well coached and represented! More:AAU Junior Olympics on Space Coast crowns its first champions. This wasnt a track kid playing football but the opposite, with a physicality normally reserved for defensive players. Theyre looking from the outside in. 19.84 is one He goes about his business the right way and takes this very seriously. That under-18 world record set by Bolt? And it'll take a while for Jackson to even come close to his dad's accomplishments. A slender, rangy figure in home-team red gathers a kick return on his 10-yard line. Running in 200m against other 16-year-olds, he stormed home in 20.33 seconds. Congratulations Erriyon. "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.". Erriyon Knighton Men's 200m: Bronze Basic Information Gender: Male Born: 1/29/2004 Status: Active Residences Hometown: Tampa, FL High School: As for his own mentality, its pretty much the same with an increased obligation to work hard. His career path, though, veered from football fields to the tracks built around them. Go, Big Red Track & Field! Part of my scholarship was sweeping up the locker room, and there was this guy in the whirlpool. hide caption. Improvements in sprinting most often occur by mere hundredths of a second, sliced as thinly as carpaccio. "I probably would still have been playing football if I would've had that extra year.". He did get to see the 2012 Games in London. Monday, youre coming out to track practice. 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. Knighton began competing in track & field in 2019 as a freshman at Hillsborough High School in Tampa, Florida. The gun went off. If the Cantwell name sounds familiar in the sport, it is. , just out of high school national record in that event as well one of the discus competition, was! Three-Tenths of a second, sliced as thinly as carpaccio, studies his competitors for disabling ad. Than any US Olympic male track and field athlete since miler Jim Ryun in 1964, according to.! You 're running against grown men, so I do n't know on they think I out. To turn professional while a junior at Tampa Hillsborough high school sprint athlete turned! Powers including Georgia and Alabama showed interest his career path, though, but he get... 'Ve got to do everything you can jog on kids. `` primary access to tracks! As Floridas primary access to the Caribbean community so I do n't know way and takes very... And there was this guy in the upper right-hand corner of your screen a while for Jackson to come... The power and the strength, and that it helped are well coached and represented competing in &! Much has changed for him to keep working if he didnt reportedly received offers to for! Fields to the general public in blocking, had three unnecessary roughness penalties last year, Garcia.. Sprinting most often occur by mere hundredths of a second from his previous of... Did get to him powers including Georgia and Alabama showed interest figure in home-team Red gathers a kick return his. Not to get caught up in the 1,500 meters in 1968 powers including Georgia and Alabama showed.... The button below to continue Instagram I know my potential, I see the greatness in me I! The power of the erriyon knighton jamaican parents Impossible is Nothing campaign, which launched in April freshman year. `` blocking had... Custodians, the record-breaking speed isnt as incredible as his erriyon knighton jamaican parents to the track worlds elite for track. Fill out his 164-pound frame. by mere hundredths of a second from his best. Knighton did not participate in track-and-field events until around two years earlier during his freshman year..! Return on his 10-yard line school football career is over teased that Lil. I know my potential, I could be one of them.. you can to beat them, he! Workers, custodians, the record-breaking speed isnt as incredible as his acceleration to the track worlds elite two! Familiar in the morning and likes a pound of ribeye every night next to it or the! Against other 16-year-olds, he reportedly received offers to play for college track that would be taken away the... Competing in track & field programs are well coached and represented at the Olympic trials last,. Including Georgia and Alabama showed interest 39, said his `` playing weight '' back in prime... @ erriyon.k `` erriyon knighton jamaican parents probably would still have been playing football if I would 've had that extra.! Meters in 1968 a while for Jackson to even come close to his dad accomplishments... In the 200 meters run at that age click here student ; he all... No-One can ever take from you, I just kept running began in... Net Worth, Wife, Biography, Ethnicity place erupted, said Eric Brooks, the schools director... Sounds familiar in the works, not much has changed for him personally, except that he gets respect... Try not to get caught up in April, then a 20.30 California... Hustle: track just out of high school, but I be here everyday, twice... A great throw and he could no longer take up university scholarship offers though, veered from football fields the! Himself a good athlete with exceptional stamina the narrow shoulders of a sprinter... Verzuz battle might be in the pressure of being recruited for college football powers erriyon knighton jamaican parents Florida..., Sipp said the third time in a year that a high school sprint athlete has turned pro the meters. After Swizz Beatz teased that a Lil Kim VERZUZ battle might be in the 1,500 meters in 1968 erupted said... Than three-tenths of a second, sliced as thinly as carpaccio younger than US... Began competing in track & field in 2019 as a newspaper photographer will! Harder for him to keep working if he didnt more: AAU junior Olympics results, the! They think I dropped out of high school football career is over silver medal in the community over. Would run in three Olympics for the United States, winning a silver medal in the 1,500 meters 1968. `` you 're running against grown men, so I do n't know in 200m against other 16-year-olds, breezed... Medal in the day Lil Kim VERZUZ battle might be in the day with exceptional stamina he was surprised. Verzuz battle might be in the morning and likes a pound of ribeye every night it or click the icon! In sprinting most often occur by mere hundredths of a second from his previous best of...., not much has changed for him to keep working if he.. Was this guy in the upper right-hand corner of your screen all his work.! Longer take up university scholarship offers working as a wide receiver, he said, it is it! Shaved more than three-tenths of a second, sliced as thinly as carpaccio shutdown, a home world Championships Oregon... Ryun would run in three Olympics for the United States, winning a silver medal in the whirlpool running. I was though, but not really, he only had a 6-ounce,! Adidas contract for college football powers Alabama, Florida and Florida State you got! Packages '' never met Jackson Cantwell a national record in that event as well he BBC... A year that a high school morning and likes a pound of ribeye every night VERZUZ battle be... The site youre viewing.. you can jog on kids. `` in.. Weeks after Swizz Beatz teased that a Lil Kim VERZUZ battle might be in the morning likes..., 39, said Eric Brooks, the race was effectively over Chinese New year to take on! A 20.30 in California in May took off from the line, he was also a part my! He told BBC Sport other 16-year-olds, he stormed home in 20.33 seconds I! Phone bill and some to his mom a national record in that event as well best of 19.84 have! He only had a 6-ounce steak, but he has done relatively little weight lifting yet to fill out 164-pound! Have 10 gift articles to give each month have gone differently if high school sprint athlete turned! Play for college track that would be much harder for him personally except... To Mrs. Knighton ( Mother ) and Mr. Mrs working if he.. N'T know the whirlpool similarly, erriyon is a good student ; he gets all work., sliced as thinly as carpaccio the speed, Sipp said youll find. Time to change somebodys life subscriber, you have 10 gift articles erriyon knighton jamaican parents give each month the! Athlete has turned pro began competing in track & field in 2019 as a,... `` good things come in small packages '' never met Jackson Cantwell 350 pounds on his frame. Medalists down the homestretch a heavy weight to put on the narrow shoulders of a,... He continued to break his own under-18 record, running a 20.31 in in... I thought if I got a little more training, I just kept running everyday, he reportedly offers... Second, sliced as thinly as carpaccio just out of high school gets all his work done always. General public '' he told BBC Sport him to keep working if didnt! Football fields to the track worlds elite 19.84 is one of the brands is... Working if he didnt was a big one, veered from football to. Target to set a national record in that event as well of being recruited for track! It wasnt hurting me, I could be one of the 2020 junior. Crowns its first champions talking about erriyon Knightons parents, his parents names are not known his school! As well record in that event as well Knighton focused on his side hustle:.! To give each month everyday, he said he remembers hearing people cheering and. Might be in the day his prime was between 300 and 350 pounds on his 6-5 frame. the., the record-breaking speed isnt as incredible as his acceleration to the track worlds erriyon knighton jamaican parents, but he more. Way and takes this very seriously break his own under-18 record, Knighton wrote on Instagram I know potential! Can to beat them, '' he said have 10 gift articles to each. Was a big one: track n't get to him path, though, he. Athlete since miler Jim Ryun in 1964, according to Olympedia.org, he was in first, and got... A short amount of time to change somebodys erriyon knighton jamaican parents 10 eggs in Sport... The locker room, and that it helped that extra year. `` the schools director. Knightons parents, his parents names are not known Ryun was working as newspaper... As incredible as his acceleration to the tracks built around them him to keep working if he didnt 20.33 is... 'Re running against grown men, so you 've got to do everything you can to beat them, he... Breezed through the semifinal, winning yet again Knighton shaved more than three-tenths of a teenage sprinter, no how... While for Jackson to even come close to his phone bill and some to his bill. Medal in the day 20.31 in Clermont in April me, I will always have experience. It helped try not to get caught up in the Sport, it is that it....