• Football
  • Boxing
  • UFC
  • Home
  • Football
    • England
    • Transfer News
    • Premier League
    • Champions League
    • Lionel Messi
    • Cristiano Ronaldo
    • EA FC 25
    • Wrexham
  • Boxing
    • Tyson Fury
    • Anthony Joshua
    • Oleksandr Usyk
    • Mike Tyson
    • Jake Paul
    • Logan Paul
  • UFC
    • Dana White
    • Conor McGregor
    • Khabib Nurmagomedov
    • Jon Jones
    • Paddy Pimblett
    • Joe Rogan
  • Other Sport
    • Athletics
    • Formula 1
    • MMA
    • Motorsport
    • NBA
    • Darts
    • NFL
    • Snooker
    • Wrestling
    • Tennis
    • Cricket
    • Golf
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • UNILAD
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube
What happened to the 21-year-old sprinter who Usain Bolt said was 'the next big thing' ahead of the 2024 Olympics

Home> Athletics

Updated 14:29 27 May 2025 GMT+1Published 14:22 27 May 2025 GMT+1

What happened to the 21-year-old sprinter who Usain Bolt said was 'the next big thing' ahead of the 2024 Olympics

The eight-time Olympic gold medallist gave a sprinter the highest of praise ahead of the Paris Games.

Luke Davies

Luke Davies

Featured Image Credit: Getty

Topics: Usain Bolt, Athletics, Olympics, Noah Lyles

Luke Davies
Luke Davies

Journalist with expertise covering football - both in England and abroad - as well as combat sports.

X

@lukedaviesmedia

Advert

Advert

Advert

Eight-time Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt backed a then-20-year-old sprinter to take the sport by storm ahead of the Paris Olympic Games – but how has he fared since?

Bolt, 38, is the fastest man of all time and boasts both the 100 and 200m world records with times of 9.58 and 19.19 seconds, both of which he set during the 2009 IAAF World Athletics Championships in Berlin, Germany.

No man has officially run as fast as Bolt, with the current Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles clocking a time of 9.79 seconds in the showpiece in Paris last summer.

Advert

Bolt’s countryman Kishane Thompson missed out on gold by 0.005s and had to settle for silver.

However, it was an American whom the 38-year-old praised ahead of the 2024 Olympics.

21-year-old Erriyon Knighton, who specialises in the 200m distance, was tipped to be a future star by Bolt when he spoke on the Obi One Podcast.

Bolt said: "I don't see it [any current sprinter beating my world record].

Advert

"At times, you can see talent where you go, 'Oh, if he develops, he's going to'. I just don't see it.

"There is one kid who had my attention for a while. His name is Knighton, from the States. He ran 19.40-something.

"He's only just turning 20. So he was pretty good.

Erriyon Knighton will be hoping to follow Usain Bolt (Credit:Getty)
Erriyon Knighton will be hoping to follow Usain Bolt (Credit:Getty)

Advert

"But it's all about developing the talent. You have to find a good coach, someone to nurture and understand how to nurture the talent and help to build that talent.

"When I saw him, I thought, 'This kid really impressed me’.”

Ahead of the games, Knighton told Olympics.com: "Anybody's going to want to beat the record of the all-time great, but at the same time, I still have to knock each down one by one.

"It's not going to be an easy task; it's going to be hard. I definitely think I can do it, but it's just I have got to work hard and to really have a lot of self-confidence."

Advert

However, Knighton missed out on a medal, finishing fourth in the 200m final with a time of 19.99 seconds.

The American will be hoping to secure gold at the IAAF World Athletics Championships which are set to take place in Tokyo, Japan in September 2025.

Choose your content:

a day ago
10 days ago
  • a day ago

    Gout Gout had ice cold response after Noah Lyles questioned him about 'next Usain Bolt' status

    The Australian sprinting sensation has been compared to Bolt as he gears up for today’s U23 200m in Monaco

    Athletics
  • a day ago

    Gout Gout given strict three-point criteria to beat Usain Bolt at same age after illegal time controversy

    The Australian sensation will run the U23s 200m race at the Monaco Diamond League this week

    Athletics
  • 10 days ago

    Usain Bolt explains why Noah Lyles and Kishane Thompson would have stood no chance at 2012 Olympic Games

    Noah Lyles beat Kishane Thompson at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

    Athletics
  • 10 days ago

    Nike forced to issue statement after claims they 'lied' about Faith Kipyegon's sub-4 mile attempt to make it look faster

    The Olympic gold medallist attempted to become the first woman to run a mile in less than four minutes.

    Athletics
  • Sprinter who claimed to beat Usain Bolt's 150m world record could be jailed after allegations of violence
  • Gout Gout had ice cold response after Noah Lyles questioned him about 'next Usain Bolt' status
  • Noah Lyles snubs Usain Bolt as he names the greatest and 'most complete' sprinter ever
  • Viral 16-year-old sprinter Gout Gout gave the coldest response when asked if he's the next Usain Bolt