Four-star football recruit Erriyon Knighton of Tampa breaks national 200-meter mark
08/07/2020
Erriyon Knighton breaks 200 meter record at the 2020 AAU Junior Olympic Games.
Article originally posted on Florida Today.
BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - "To be the man, you've got to beat the man."
And right now, no one on the track appears to be beating Erriyon Knighton, considered the fastest kid in Florida — and now the nation — after his record-setting performance Friday morning in the 200 meters at the AAU National Junior Olympics.
Knighton posted a time of 20.33 seconds, smashing the previous boys 15-16 national record of 20.62, set in 2016 by Tyrese Cooper of Miami Gardens.
"It feels good," he said, cracking a humble smile, after being asked what's it like to be considered the fastest runner in his age class at the summer showcase
"The 200 is my (main) race; I'm a 200 guy," said Knighton, who also will be the top seed in Saturday's 100-meter finals.
His "nearest" competitors Friday: Isaiah Davis of Auburn, Washington (21.68) and Kevar Williams of DeLand (21.72).
Knighton's previous best 200 run was 20.89 seconds earlier this year.
In the 17-18 class, considered the "men's" field in AAU, Robert Gregory Jr. of Houston won the 200 meters on Friday in 20.65.
Knighton, a 16-year-old track and football star from Tampa's Hillsborough High — and already a highly recruited prospect by major colleges — enters his junior prep season with personal-best times of 10.4 in the 100 meters, 20.33 in the 200 and 47.4 in the 400.
"Last year was my first year ever running," said Knighton, who placed fifth in the 200 at the 2019 Florida state high school meet, his first major competition.
Late Wednesday afternoon, during the opening session of the four-day AAU event, he breezed to victory in the 200 prelims in 21.28 at Satellite High's stadium, waiting out a two-hour thunderstorm delay and getting acclimated to a rubberized track.
"We run on concrete on high school," Knighton said, "but I brought a different pair of (cleats). It was pretty solid (run), but not my best."
The humidity, combined with the heat when the nearby sea breeze suddenly stopped, took a toll on the runners.
"Oh man, it was so hot," Knighton said.
The next day was different, however.
Thursday, under bright, sunny skies, he posted a 10.45 clocking in the 100 meters to cruise to another heat victory and set him up for Saturday's finals.
"Hey, and that was with a negative-1 (meters per second) wind factor," Knighton said, smiling.
"Finally, we got some nice weather. God came through."
DeLand's Williams was second at 10.83.
The national 100-meter mark is 10.27, set in 1996 by Ryan Berard of Houston.
At 6-foot-3, 175 pounds, Knighton does have a little advantage with his long legs, but his vertical style of running also has paid off in football, where last season he burst on the scene for the Terriers with a 96-yard kickoff return in the season opener against Robinson High and later an 87-yard sweep run in a loss to Steinbrenner High.
After averaging 12 yards a carry and 23.4 a catch as a sophomore, ESPN has him rated as a 4-star recruit and No. 141 overall in the nation, while 247Sports ranks him as a 4-star recruit and No. 23 wide receiver, while Sports Illustrated also has him listed among the nation's top football recruits.
"I love doing both, but for me, I'd say track will be a better (fit) for me," said Knighton, who runs for his club team, My Brother's Keeper Track Club, based in Riverview in Hillsborough County.
If he were to narrow his abundant choices of college offers, he said it would likely include Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Tennessee and Florida. Other offers have come in from Illinois, Iowa State and Toledo, to name a few.
According to MileSplit, after his freshman season Knighton was ranked No. 10 nationally in the 100, No. 3 in the 200 and No. 2 in the 400 in his class.
The COVID-19 pandemic wiped out his sophomore track season, but he did manage to get in two events this year as a member of his club team.
In those smaller-scale meets, he posted two of his fastest times: the 10.40 in the 100 (eighth overall in the U.S.) and the 20.89 in the 200 (seventh).
He came in as the top seed in both at the AAU Nationals.
BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - "To be the man, you've got to beat the man."
And right now, no one on the track appears to be beating Erriyon Knighton, considered the fastest kid in Florida — and now the nation — after his record-setting performance Friday morning in the 200 meters at the AAU National Junior Olympics.
Knighton posted a time of 20.33 seconds, smashing the previous boys 15-16 national record of 20.62, set in 2016 by Tyrese Cooper of Miami Gardens.
"It feels good," he said, cracking a humble smile, after being asked what's it like to be considered the fastest runner in his age class at the summer showcase
"The 200 is my (main) race; I'm a 200 guy," said Knighton, who also will be the top seed in Saturday's 100-meter finals.
His "nearest" competitors Friday: Isaiah Davis of Auburn, Washington (21.68) and Kevar Williams of DeLand (21.72).
Knighton's previous best 200 run was 20.89 seconds earlier this year.
In the 17-18 class, considered the "men's" field in AAU, Robert Gregory Jr. of Houston won the 200 meters on Friday in 20.65.
Knighton, a 16-year-old track and football star from Tampa's Hillsborough High — and already a highly recruited prospect by major colleges — enters his junior prep season with personal-best times of 10.4 in the 100 meters, 20.33 in the 200 and 47.4 in the 400.
"Last year was my first year ever running," said Knighton, who placed fifth in the 200 at the 2019 Florida state high school meet, his first major competition.
Late Wednesday afternoon, during the opening session of the four-day AAU event, he breezed to victory in the 200 prelims in 21.28 at Satellite High's stadium, waiting out a two-hour thunderstorm delay and getting acclimated to a rubberized track.
"We run on concrete on high school," Knighton said, "but I brought a different pair of (cleats). It was pretty solid (run), but not my best."
The humidity, combined with the heat when the nearby sea breeze suddenly stopped, took a toll on the runners.
"Oh man, it was so hot," Knighton said.
The next day was different, however.
Thursday, under bright, sunny skies, he posted a 10.45 clocking in the 100 meters to cruise to another heat victory and set him up for Saturday's finals.
"Hey, and that was with a negative-1 (meters per second) wind factor," Knighton said, smiling.
"Finally, we got some nice weather. God came through."
DeLand's Williams was second at 10.83.
The national 100-meter mark is 10.27, set in 1996 by Ryan Berard of Houston.
At 6-foot-3, 175 pounds, Knighton does have a little advantage with his long legs, but his vertical style of running also has paid off in football, where last season he burst on the scene for the Terriers with a 96-yard kickoff return in the season opener against Robinson High and later an 87-yard sweep run in a loss to Steinbrenner High.
After averaging 12 yards a carry and 23.4 a catch as a sophomore, ESPN has him rated as a 4-star recruit and No. 141 overall in the nation, while 247Sports ranks him as a 4-star recruit and No. 23 wide receiver, while Sports Illustrated also has him listed among the nation's top football recruits.
"I love doing both, but for me, I'd say track will be a better (fit) for me," said Knighton, who runs for his club team, My Brother's Keeper Track Club, based in Riverview in Hillsborough County.
If he were to narrow his abundant choices of college offers, he said it would likely include Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Tennessee and Florida. Other offers have come in from Illinois, Iowa State and Toledo, to name a few.
According to MileSplit, after his freshman season Knighton was ranked No. 10 nationally in the 100, No. 3 in the 200 and No. 2 in the 400 in his class.
The COVID-19 pandemic wiped out his sophomore track season, but he did manage to get in two events this year as a member of his club team.
In those smaller-scale meets, he posted two of his fastest times: the 10.40 in the 100 (eighth overall in the U.S.) and the 20.89 in the 200 (seventh).
He came in as the top seed in both at the AAU Nationals.
So, how has he stayed in shape during the pandemic?
"Practice," he said, smiling. "Practice a great deal, even when you don't feel like practicing, you go out there and do it. I've stayed at the house, doing a lot of weightlifting. I couldn't run with my team because they shut that down."
If he had to compare his running style to other speed merchants, there is only one.
"Probably Usain Bolt (who ran a world-best 20.13-second 200 meters in 2003)," he said, "just because he's tall like me."
Not to mention fast on his feet like Knighton.
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