Erriyon Knighton had the opportunity to catch passes on college football's biggest stages in the most prominent conference in the country, but he set his sights on the global stage instead. The former four-star wide receiver recruit dreamed of Olympics glory, and on Thursday, he came fairly close to grabbing it.
Knighton earned a fourth-place finish in the Men's 200-meter final at the Paris Games, showcasing the type of speed that had multiple SEC programs pursuing him on the recruiting trail back in 2020. Unfortunately, however, a loaded field denied him the chance to step on the podium.
Letsile Tebogo stood clear above the rest, winning with a time of 19.46 seconds. He is the first athlete from Botswana to secure an Olympics Gold Medal and the first African to ever win this event at the Summer Games.
Noah Lyles, who was trying to race his way into elite company, wound up with the Bronze. Despite being diagnosed with COVID-19 just two days earlier, the newly-crowned “fastest man in the world” still managed to put forth an admirable effort. Lyles was carried away in a wheel chair due to exhaustion. His countryman and rival, “Kung Fu” Kenny Bednarek, edged him out for the Silver Medal.
With Tebogo etching his name in the history books and two other Americans seizing the rest of the spotlight, it is easy for Erriyon Knighton to get lost in the shuffle. He made his presence known, though, and did so at just the age of 20. Although the industry is unpredictable, his track and field future appears to be quite bright. And to think, his reality would be much different if he explored the path more taken.
Erriyon Knighton chooses to run
The Tampa, Florida native garnered significant interest in the college football world, receiving scholarship offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State and Tennessee, among others. He had 25 catches for 484 yards and four touchdowns during his junior year at Hillsborough High School. His mind was elsewhere in 2021, however.
Knighton signed a sponsorship deal with Adidas, astounded many with his elite talent and broke the 200-meters U-20 world record that all-time great sprinter Usain Bolt set many years ago. All of this culminated with a spot on Team USA at the Tokyo Games in 2021. At 17 years of age, Erriyon Knighton became the youngest American male track and field Olympian in almost 60 years.
His career appeared to be in great jeopardy earlier this year, though. He tested positive for a banned steroid called Trenbolone back in March, but the United States Anti-Doping agency ruled that the result stemmed from contaminated meat. Hence, Knighton was allowed to compete at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials.
In Paris, he inched closer to leaving a lasting mark on the sport. Maybe Los Angeles will be the place where a star is truly born. Knighton will continue to train at the University of Florida while he pursues Olympics excellence.
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