Houston high school runner Matthew Boling breaks national record in 100-meter dash
Yahoo
Ryan Young
Houston high school sprinter Matthew Boling has garnered immense national attention on the track in recent months.
On Saturday, the 18-year-old took that to a new level.
Boling ran the 100-meter dash at the Texas UIL state track and field championships at the University of Texas in Austin in just 10.13 seconds — breaking a 29-year-old national record.
The Strake Jesuit high school senior made headlines earlier this month after his performance at the Texas Region III-6A track meet when he ran the 100-meter dash in just 9.98 seconds — which marked the fastest all-conditions mark ever recorded by a high school sprinter. Boling was helped by a tailwind of just more than twice the legal limit at that meet, however.
He backed that up on Saturday, though, with his wind-legal time still setting the new national record — and he still thinks he can go faster.
“Honestly when I looked at the race before us and saw that the wind was 1.3, I was like 'Oh, I'm excited,’” Boling said, via the Houston Chronicle. “Because after last week, everyone was like 'Oh, the wind wasn't legal' and stuff like that. So I was like 'Alright, I'll just drop a fast time today.’”
The Georgia signee won the long jump earlier on Saturday, too, at 25 feet and 4.5 inches in just two jumps. He currently holds the Texas record at 26-3.5, which is the seventh-best distance in high school track and field history.
"I wasn't aiming for any big records," Boling said, via the Houston Chronicle. "Like in the long jump I only took two jumps because I just wanted to be rested because I had so many events today. I just had to do my job and get as many points for the team as possible."
Boling, naturally, drew plenty of eyes at the meet on Saturday. He even had a police escort with him as he walked around the stadium.
That attention, he said, actually pushes him.
And at the rate he’s going, that’s all but certain to be a good thing.
“I look up and whenever I see the crowd get up to start videoing and watching, it definitely gets me hyped,” Boling said, via the Houston Chronicle. “That's what I love about the 100. Everyone comes to watch it and it's really fun. I got out well and I was just happy with it and the build-up and anticipation was a lot of adrenaline, but it was really fun.”
Interesting. Usain Bolts record is 9.58 seconds set in 2009, which would have made him 22. This kid is only 18? Wow! He has a real chance of breaking that record some day. [Reply]
