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Who is Erriyon Knighton? The Teen Who Broke Usain Bolt's Sprinting Record

Who is Erriyon Knighton? The Teen Who Broke Usain Bolt's Sprinting Record

​Erriyon Knighton, who turned 17 just five months ago, smashed Usain Bolt’s junior record in the 200m

Robert Mann

Robert Mann

Erriyon Knighton, who turned 17 in January, recently carved his name into the history books by smashing Usain Bolt's junior record in the 200m.

The youngster won with a staggering time of 20.11, besting the record that Bolt set in 2003 by 0.2 seconds. Pretty impressive, right? Again, even more impressively, it wasn't even a wind-assisted run either, making his feat even more special.

Erriyon Knighton, left, broke a junior record in the 200m that had been set by Usain Bolt in 2003
Erriyon Knighton, left, broke a junior record in the 200m that had been set by Usain Bolt in 2003

Knighton was also competing against an accomplished sprinter in their own right, passing the finish line before fellow American Trayvon Bromell, the favourite to win the 100m at the Tokyo Olympics next month.

To put it into context, Bromwell, 25, ran his best 200m time since 2015 and still fell short of Knighton.

What's even more impressive is that sprinting isn't exactly a longtime passion for Knighton as he's actually only been doing it for three years.

Knighton continued his impressive, impressive running into the big stage as he performed in the semi-final of the 200m at the Olympics, staring down his opponents as he eased past them and into the final.

We can only imagine how quick he is going to be by the time he reaches his peak in his late 20s.

So, what else do we know about this up-and-coming sprinter?

Who is Erriyon Knighton?

Erriyon Knighton is a 17-year-old sprinter who turned professional in January and broke Usain Bolt's under-18 200m record on Monday, May 31.

Knighton clocked 20.11 seconds at an American Track League meet in Jacksonville, Florida, beating Bolt's record of 20.13 from 2003.

The 17-year-old now ranks 13th among Americans in the 200m since the start of 2019, and seventh this year.

How old is Erriyon Knighton?

Erriyon Knighton only turned 17 this year and was born on 29 January 2004.

How tall is Erriyon Knighton?

Erriyon Knighton stands at a towering 6' 3" (191cm).

How much does Erriyon Knighton weigh?

Erriyon Knighton is said to weigh 170 lbs (77kg).

What is Erriyon Knighton's net worth?

It is not yet known how much Erriyon Knighton is worth, especially considering that he an up-and-coming sprinter at just 17.

However, it is believed that Knighton's net worth is somewhere around $200,000 from the racing wins, tournaments and trophies.

After his performances at the Olympics, no doubt he will continue to rise in worth.

Does Erriyon Knighton play any other sports?

The 17-year-old has only been running for a total of three years.

He's a wide receiver on his high school football team and got into track his freshman year when his football coach suggested it after watching his speed on the field.

Although he hasn't been doing it for long, he knows track is where his future is.

Despite being recruited by several first division schools to play football, he chose to go pro in track.

"Knowing that I grew up around football my whole life, and receiving a lot of division one offers, it was a tough decision, but it was also a no-brainer," Knighton told Track and Field News in February.
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Topics: Usain Bolt