Meet The High School Track Prodigy Competing In The Olympic 200-Meter

https://www.npr.org/sections/tokyo-olympics-live-updates/2021/08/04/ [login to see] /high-school-track-prodigy-olympic-200-meter-erriyon-knighton
Erriyon Knighton may be one of the youngest people in decades to represent the U.S. in men's track at the Olympics but he sailed through to the final of the 200-meter to compete with the fastest men in the world.

"I don't really try to put my age in it, I just go out there and run like I'm an adult just like they is," he said earlier this week.

The 17-year-old from Tampa, Fla., has made a dramatic rise in track, including knocking down an under-18 world record set by Jamaican track legend Usain Bolt in 2003.

He ultimately placed fourth in the blazing fast final on Wednesday, making a major statement at his first Olympics.

Earlier this week, Knighton won his first heat and said that he eased up after the first half of that sprint. "I've got to qualify for the heat so don't exert too much energy, really," he said, appearing relaxed and confident.