The US Olympic trials may have unleashed the next Usain Bolt – but only quicker.
17-year-old Erriyon Knighton etched his name into the history books with a huge showing in the 200m sprint.
While Knighton finished third in the 200m final to book his place in the Olympics, the run smashed a host of records held by the legendary sprinter Usain Bolt, holder of the all-time 100m and 200m records. The teenager ran 19.84 seconds in the final, bettering the 19.88s run in the semi-final and a 20.04s in the heats.
Knighton had already beat Bolt's longstanding 200m under-18 record of 20.13s, and now he's claimed Bolt's under-20 record time of 19.93s from 2004. Bolt only ran Knighton's time of 19.84 at the age of 20 years and ten months.
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Knighton, who's from Florida, said he's proud of the run.
"It will probably sink in when I get home," Knighton said of his accomplishments. "It's a really big achievement."
Ahead of Knighton, world champion Noah Lyles dominated to victory in Oregon in a world-leading 19.74sec. He said he fully believes the team can top the 32 medals it won at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.
"Shoot, I want all the sprints. Plain and simple," Lyles said. "I don't think I'm crazy for saying I think we can do it. Why not sweep them all? Why not go top three in each one? I don't think it's crazy."
Far less crazy now that Bolt is retired and watching on TV.
"There's no Jamaican dominance. There's only U.S. dominance. We're going to start breaking records," Lyles said.
That, in fact, has already begun.
Shot putter Ryan Crouser, 28, broke a 31-year-old world record on the first day of trials.
On the last day, in record-setting heat that led the trials to be moved to the night, Sydney McLaughlin provided a perfect bookend, finishing the 400 hurdles in 51.90 seconds. The 21-year-old edged Dalilah Muhammad, who babysat the record for 23 months.
"It was definitely just a matter of time. Definitely knew she was capable of it," Muhammad said. "I absolutely saw it coming."
HAIR APPARENT
Watch out, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. The Jamaican superstar will be pushed by Americans in both the 100 and 200 sprints in Tokyo.
Richardson won the 100 in 10.86 seconds and Thomas, the Harvard graduate, won the 200 in 21.61. Thomas not only broke the meet record held by her idol, Felix, but it also made her the second-fastest woman ever in the event, trailing only the two times posted by the late Florence Griffith Joyner.
The 21-year-old Richardson picks a hair color so "I'm visible and able to be seen," she explained.
There may be a new color for Tokyo.
"I've got tricks up my sleeve," Richardson said. "Stay tuned."
ATHING OF BEAUTY
Athing Mu, whose parents emigrated to the U.S. from Sudan before she was born, has been tracking toward success for quite a while. The 19-year-old from New Jersey was the NCAA champ in the 400 for Texas A&M this season.
She bumped up to the 800 for trials, where she held off a veteran field to finish in 1 minute, 56.07 seconds. Her time broke the meet record set by Meredith Rainey in 1996.
"A 25-year-old record is really old," Mu said. "I knew it was within me. It's great to have it."
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