17-year-old Erriyon Knighton breaks U-18 200m world record for the 2nd time in a month
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Erriyon Knighton
American track sensation Erriyon Knighton stunned the global track and field once again after he clocked 20.04 seconds in men’s 200m and broke the U-18 world record for the second time in a month.
The 17-year-old achieved this feat in the opening rounds of the US Olympic Trials on Friday. This fantastic performance came just weeks after he had shattered Usain Bolt’s junior record of 20.13 seconds set in 2003, by finishing the 200m race in 20.11 seconds on 1st June, 2021.
“I saved something most definitely,” says Erriyon Knighton
Teenage track sensation, Erriyon Knighton, beat world champion Noah Lyles in the opening rounds of men’s 200m. The latter claimed a second-best 20.19 seconds finish at Eugene, Oregon’s Hayward Field. Knighton also toppled Lyles’s high school record of 20.09 seconds.
“That was my first time racing against him. I’ve watched tons of his races. I love to see it,” Lyles was quoted as saying by Reuters. “It reminds me of myself coming out here in 2016. I want to see people taking that path and other paths,” he added appreciating the youngster. Lyles, who was a favourite to win a medal at the Tokyo Olympics, failed to qualify in the men’s 100m earlier in the trials.
Young gun Erriyon Knighton told reporters he considered Usain Bolt, Noah Lyles and Micheal Johnson as his inspiration. He went on to say that his best was yet to come. “I saved something most definitely,” he said. “You don’t want to push to your full capacity but you want to make it through the rounds and make the top three, but you can’t use all your energy in one race,” he added.
Knighton will be competing in the semi-finals on Saturday. He believes that it could take a timing of 19.8 seconds or 19.7 seconds to punch a ticket in the Tokyo bound plane.
Also Read: WATCH – American teen Erriyon Knighton breaks Usain Bolt’s record in 200m
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