Teenage ‘next Usain Bolt’ Erriyon Knighton stuns on Olympic debut

Teenage freak Erriyon Knighton’s first run at an Olympics did nothing to quell the hype he’s ready to take over from Usain Bolt.

Erriyon Knighton is the real deal.

Erriyon Knighton looked every bit the Chosen One in his Olympic debut.

The 17-year-old has been earmarked as the successor to Usain Bolt’s 200m crown and he cruised through his opening heat on Tuesday.

Knighton was sluggish out of the blocks but surged around the bend to take the lead on the home straight and was never threatened by runners in other lanes, especially after Great Britain’s Adam Gemili went down with injury shortly after the starting gun went off.

Knighton eased up well short of the line, taking it easy with at least 50m to go as he crossed in 20.55 seconds, ahead of Alonso Edward of Panama in second.

The cruisy run puts Knighton into the semis and the American sensation will be looking to repeat the dose and qualify for the final.

“This 17-year-old, we get our first got look at him,” Bruce McAvaney said in commentary for Channel 7. “Some say he’s the heir apparent to you know who.

“It was a stroll in the park.”

Former Olympian Tamsyn Manou added: “You could excuse him for being overawed (but he wasn’t). He held his composure.

“It is all about this young man on the screen. Isn’t he someone who is so super exciting.”

Viewers on social media liked what they saw from the teenage freak.

Evan Closky tweeted: “Erriyon Knighton made that look easy. My goodness.”

Journalist Owuraku Ampofo wrote: “Erriyon Knighton is 17-years-old and he ran that heat in his first Olympics like it was nothing. Wow.”

Sports writer Morgan Campbell said Knighton was “running like a guy who’s about to give these veterans some headaches” and Jamaica’s Andrew Lowe added: “Young Erriyon Knighton making these grown men look like primary school kids. What an amazing talent — 20.55 on the jog. If he stays healthy and keep working hard … he’ll be going for some very special records soon.”

Erriyon Knighton made it look easy.

Knighton to fill Usain Bolt-sized void

Knighton put himself on the map with a stunning 200m run at an American Track League event in June. All eyes were on Trayvon Bromell in the final but the teenage phenomenon exploded down the home straight to finish in 20.11 seconds.

It saw him topple Bolt’s Under-18 world record of 20.13 for the 200m, set all the way back in 2003. And Knighton wasn’t done there.

He became the youngest runner to qualify for an American track and field team since 1964 at the recent US Olympic trials, surpassing another of Bolt’s world records in the process. The Jamaican held the mark for fastest 200m time by an under-20 competitor until Knighton crossed the line in 19.84 seconds in Oregon, better than the Jamaican’s best of 19.93 seconds before he turned 20.

Remarkably, Knighton has only been running seriously for a couple of years, after making the switch from football.

“When it comes to filling the void of Usain Bolt, I think one of the most attractive opportunities is a kid in the 200m from America called Erriyon Knighton, who was the third fastest qualifier for the US team,” former Aussie sprinter Matt Shirvington told news.com.au.

“But he is a teenager, 17, and he’s run faster than Usain Bolt has at the same age. For me, you’re looking at someone who could end up walking away a superstar, who’s on the rise. I think Erriyon Knight’s a really, really great shout.