6'3"
21
Tampa, FL
Hillsborough High School (Tampa, Fla.) ‘22
Sport: Track and field
Specialty: 100-meter and 200-meter sprints
Erriyon Knighton is a phenomenal talent in U.S. track and field, specializing in sprint events. Knighton has broken numerous age-group records and emerged as one of the most promising sprinters in the world. His rapid rise in the sport has drawn comparisons to legendary sprinters and positioned him as a potential future star of American athletics.
Knighton attended Hillsborough High School, where he initially focused on football. His transition to track and field came later, but his natural speed quickly became apparent. In his sophomore year, he began to focus more seriously on sprinting and his times improved rapidly.
Knighton made his Olympic debut at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. At just 17 years old, he competed in the men’s 200-meter. He became the youngest male track and field athlete to compete for the U.S. in the Olympics since Jim Ryun in 1964. In the finals of the U.S. Olympic Trials, he set a world record time of 19.84 seconds. He advanced to the final, where he finished in fourth place with a time of 19.93 seconds.
Knighton made his second Olympic appearance at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, competing in the men’s 200-meter. After winning his semi-final race, he placed 4th in the men’s 200-meter final, one spot behind American counterpart, Noah Lyles, with a time of 19.99 seconds.
Knighton made his mark on the world stage at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon. Competing in the 200-meter final, he delivered a standout performance and clinched the bronze medal with a time of 19.77 seconds. He then went on to win silver at the 2023 World Championships, with a time of 19.75 seconds.
His breakthrough came in 2020 when he broke the 15-16 age group world record in the 200-meter, a mark previously held by Usain Bolt. This performance put him on the radar of the track and field world and set the stage for his ascent to the elite level of the sport.
In 2021, at the age of 17, Knighton set a new world under-18 best record for the 200-meter with a time of 20.11 seconds, beating Usain Bolt’s best time. He continued to improve his time in qualifying events during the U.S. Olympic Trials, bringing his record down to 19.84 seconds. This time secured his place on the Olympic team.
In 2022, he set a new 200-meter world junior record with a time of 19.49 seconds. He also achieved the title of youngest winner of a Diamond League race.
Noah Lyles accomplished ‘the double’ and a ‘three-peat’ in one fell swoop.Five days after winning the men’s 100-meter at the World Athletics Championships, Lyles did what no sprinter has since Usain Bolt in 2015, cruising to a 200-meter victory in 19.5...
Already an Olympic finalist and world championships medalist, the soft-spoken Florida native aims for gold in Budapest.
