One of the youngest ever individual world champ sprint medallists.
At 16, Erriyon Knighton turned down Division I football scholarship offers to sprint instead, and within months had run 20.33 seconds to record the second-fastest 200m in history by an under-18 athlete — then turned down college entirely to turn professional.er recruit with scholarship offers from major programmes before focusing on sprinting instead. Knighton ran the second-fastest 200m time ever recorded by an under-18 athlete at the 2020 USA Track & Field Junior Olympics, clocking 20.33 seconds in Satellite Beach, Florida, and turned professional shortly afterward rather than accepting a college scholarship offer. Knighton went on to break the U20 world record in the 200m and represented the United States at multiple major international championships, training under coach Mike Holloway and quickly establishing himself as one of the most promising young sprinters in the world. Knighton has continued to compete at the international level while developing his range across the 100m, 200m, and increasingly the 400m, remaining one of the most talked-about young talents to emerge from American sprinting in recent years.
Sprinter (200m)
How They Played
Explosive acceleration with exceptional top-end speed
Lasting Impact
Prodigious sprinting talent who broke multiple youth records
Career Honours
- 2022,2023 World championship 200m silver/bronze