By Ian Grosch
February 26th 2021, the SEC Indoor Track & Field Championships took place. Among the competitors, an aspiring young athlete resided, Mathew Boling; he has attained numerous astonishing accomplishments including being the fastest high school 100m athlete of all time. In the 200m qualifying rounds, Mathew Boling ran a 20.37s race and qualified for the finals with ease. This outstanding new world leading time put all eyes onto Boling to win the finals. However, winning the finals was not an easy feat.
February 27th 2021, Joseph Fahnbulleh and Terrence Laird challenged Boling on the line for gold. Throughout the race, Laird remained in the lead and easily took down the hyped up athlete in Boling, running a 20.28s 200m dash which placed him 13th in the indoor all time list. However, this loss for Boling is merely a minor setback. With Boling being the 30th best 200m indoor athlete and Joseph Fahnbulleh being ranked 18th, these three athletes will undoubtedly become threats on the olympic level.
One of the most dominant 200m athletes, Xavier Carter, ran one of the most memorable 200m athletes of all time on July 11th 2006 against one of the most prestigious lineups in great fashion, months after finishing his collegiate career. LaShawn Merritt, Wallace Spearmon, Tyson Gay, and a young talented athlete Usain Bolt were lined up against Carter. For the public, the expected winner was either America’s Tyson Gay or Wallace Spearmon. However, Carter achieved the 2nd fastest outdoor 200m time in 2006 with a time of 19.63s. It now stands currently as the 8th fastest time in history.
In Carter’s collegiate season, he ran a time of 20.30s in the indoor 200m, which has already been beaten by nearly all 3 of the current SEC 200m final athletes. These expectations set on Laird, Boling, and Fahnbulleh can suggest their impact on the US olympic 200m team. Athletes including Noah Lyles and Michael Norman are undoubtedly receiving a spot on the 200m team. However Laird, Fahnbulleh, and the aspiring Matthew Boling can be the next generation of American sprinters, and might possibly gain a spot in Tokyo 2021.