The Fastest Teenage Sprinters In The World Are Here. Is Track Ready For Them?

Tate Taylor, a high school junior, from San Antonio Harlan, ran a new American U20 record at the ... More Texas UIL State Track and Field Championships on Saturday, May 4, in Austin, Texas. With the eyes of Texas upon the start of the 100 meter final at the state’s high school track and field championships on Saturday in Austin, two teenager’s from San Antonio and Dallas rocket-launched their names into the record books. But when 17-year-old Tate Taylor claimed the title in a new wind-legal state record time of 9.92 seconds – in front of a crowd of approximately 10,000 fans – he didn’t just leave with respect. The San Antonio native also entered the arena as one of the very best teenagers in the world, securing a time that went down as the second-fastest time in U20 history and the top mark in the American U20 books. It’s also the second-fastest time in the world right now for 100 meters. “That’s nice,” Taylor told me afterward. “God is good, man. Simple.” Beside him, just a lane over in fact, Brayden Williams ran 10.01 seconds, losing the immediate battle but in many respects winning the larger war about whether his wind-assisted sub-10 performances over the spring season – three in total – were in fact legitimate. The 18-year-old’s effort on Saturday was tied for fifth-best in high school history. Those two times, paired with Christian Miller’s 10.02 effort on April 19 and Maurice Gleaton’s 9.98 jaw-dropper just a few days later, gave the United States four athletes under 20 with globally competitive 100 meter marks through the month of May, highlighting a fact that seems to be persistent across the world now. The teenagers are here and ready to sit at the table. “It does increase my confidence, but obviously we can’t get too cocky, right?” Taylor said. “You can walk in with a certain level of confidence, but you can never doubt your competition. You can never doubt yourself.” Perhaps it would be a mistake for the sport of track and field to sit on this moment. TOPSHOT – Australia’s Gout Gout celebrates after winning the men’s 200m final during the Queensland ... More State Championships in Brisbane on March 16, 2025. (Photo by Patrick HAMILTON / AFP) / — IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE – STRICTLY NO COMMERCIAL USE — (Photo by PATRICK HAMILTON/AFP /AFP via Getty Images) Can Teenage Sprint Sensations Compete On The World Stage? These efforts on tracks near and far, from the bellwether states of Florida and Georgia and Texas, are certainly opening eyes and drawing fans. But they’re also not without parallels globally. In Australia, 17-year-old Gout Gout is becoming a sensation, while in South Africa, 18-year-old Bayanda Walaza is quickly becoming relevant and is the reigning World U20 champion at 100 meters and 200 meters. Can any of these sprinters replicate their recent successes on larger stages, and against Olympic-level talent? It’s one thing to perform against the likes of your peers–and in the case of Taylor, Gleaton and Williams, against high schoolers who are nowhere near competitive globally–though it’s another to prove success against professional men fighting for their lives on the track. That bar could be closing. And Miller is a fitting example why . The Florida teenager was the first to break through in 2024, running dual performances of 9.93 and 9.95 seconds in April and June of last year to smash the national high school and American U20 records–which have since been broken by Taylor. Later, after reaching the finals of the men’s 100 meters at the U.S.Olympic Trials and finishing fifth there, he turned pro right out of high school, signing with Puma. In the nine months since, the 18-year-old has been perfecting his craft like a Grizzly bear waiting to exit hibernation. “My mindset has changed a little bit,” he told me in December. “Last year the mindset was trying to go out and be one of the best high school athletes I could be. Now this year, I’m trying to compete with the world’s fastest.” The month of April gave him his first eye test. Miller lined up against 2024 Olympians Courtney Lindsay, Christian Coleman and Kyree King – in fact, it was Lindsey and King who were picked over Miller to join the Team USA relay pool in Paris – at the Tom Jones Memorial meet in Gainesville, Florida. Miller finished second, just behind Lindsey’s 9.97 and just ahead of Coleman’s and King’s 10.06 and 10.07. It was enough proof to indicate that Miller’s decision to turn pro will be a fruitful one and could yield him some serious performance-incentives. BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 16: Gout Gout competes in the Men 200m Under 20 Finals during the ... More Queensland Athletics Championships at Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre on March 16, 2025 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images) The Emerging Sprint Stars From Africa And Australia Then there are the cases of Gout Gout and Walaza. Both seem to be ready for challenge. In Walaza’s view, he’s the reigning World U20 champion and fast encroaching on the space of, say, someone like Akani Simbine, who’s the country’s top sprinter and owns the world’s best time of 9.90 seconds. The 18-year-old has already taken a step forward in 2025. In March, at a U20 Championship in Pretoria, Walaza ran a wind-legal 9.99 seconds in the 100 meters and then followed with a wind-legal 10.00 in April and another 10.00 flat in May. He’s No. 2 on South Africa’s charts behind Simbine. Gout Gout, meanwhile, hasn’t had wind on his side. But the 17-year-old Australia wunderkind has secured some incredible times over the last few months–two under 10 seconds for 100 meters, in fact. The teenager most being compared to Usain Bolt ran two straight wind-assisted 9.99 times at the Australian U20 Championships in April, then followed with an insane 19.84 for 200 meters – though with a plus-2.2 tailwind – just a few days later, and a further wind-legal 20.21, securing two national championships in the process. In December, he cracked the Oceanian record for fastest 200 meters in history at 20.04 seconds and owns another performance of 20.05 in 2025. With his long, loping stride and easy smile, Gout Gout has the charisma to turn into a world star. And many are latching on to his talent and potential as reasons why. Gout Gout could be the first true breakout sprint star from Australia. But he hasn’t faced true tests on the track. Christian Miller competes at the Tom Jones Memorial in April. Miller ran 10.02 seconds for 100 ... More meters. Will These Sprint Teenage Sensations Get Their Chance? For the high schoolers Taylor and Williams and Gleaton, time will only tell whether they’ll even have the opportunity to race against world competition. For one, Gleaton, who is a three-star wide receiver headed to University of Georgia , might focus on football at the next level. Williams and Taylor, meanwhile, could have their sites squared on high school competition over the summer. History seems to suggest none will get the opportunity to race pros in a truly high stakes race. While a number of high schoolers have been afforded big opportunities in high profile meets – such as Alan Webb and Drew Hunter in the Bowerman Mile at the Prefontaine Classic in years past – few 100 meter teenage sprinters have done the same. There are very good reasons for that. There are limited lanes in professional sprinting, and when money is on the line, so is reputation and career history. But this year, with growing eyes on the sport, that would be short-sighted thinking. With track and field amid its cultural renaissance with the debut of Grand Slam Track and added intrigue into the Diamond League and the Ultimate Championships, there remains a massive opportunity for the sport to latch on to these stories and build toward the stars of tomorrow. Giving the very best teenagers in the world a chance to compete on those stages will not only be appointment viewing, but it could also spark newfound interest into a sport dying for a new audience. The teenagers are in the building, and they might just be ready for primetime viewing quicker than anyone realizes. Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/corymull/2025/05/07/the-fastest-teenage-sprinters-in-the-world-are-here–is-track-ready-for-them/