Last week, I ran you through the rates at which US athletes competing at U20 World's are able to translate that toward making a Global Team. I listed Tate Taylor as my top athlete on that watch list, but with his performances this past weekend - I think we need to have a different conversation altogether. Tate Taylor won three Gold Medals this weekend. He won the 100m in 9.94 (+0.1), the 200m in 19.83 (+0.1), and then he anchored the 4x100m Winning Relay in 38.16. That 38.16 was a World U20 Record and Taylor split an unreal 8.75.
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He didn't just win, he looked untouchable. This weekend wasn't just a flash in the pan, it re-asserted what Taylor had already shown us at the Pre Classic, when he ran a 19.75 (into a -0.9 m/s headwind) and knocked off the Olympic Champ, Letsile Tebogo. So let's take another look at the last World U20 and Olympic cycles, to see if there is any correlation between U20 100m/200m Medals and Olympic Performances in the same cycle. I went to the 2014 U20 Championships and Trayvon Brommell was the notable name of that Championship. Brommell earned 100m Silver at World U20's, and then took eighth in Rio. There were no athletes from the 2018 U20 finals that scored well at the Tokyo Olympics in the 100m and 200m. The 2022 World U20 Championships painted a different picture, with Letsile Tebogo winning the 100m before taking second place in the 200m. Letsile would go on to earn the Olympic Gold in the 200m and finish sixth in the 100m in Paris. So there may not be a true correlation between U20 Success and Olympic success in the short sprints for men, afterall I've only named two instances in the last three cycles. But am I crazy for thinking that Taylor could have a similar career arc to someone like Letsile Tebogo? When Tebogo was 18 his personal best in the 100m and 200m were 10.11 and 20.31, respectively. Taylor has already run 9.92 and 19.75. Tebogo then used the 2023 season as a springboard for 2024 Olympic Success. In that in-between year, Tebogo scored a critical Wanda Diamond League victory in Lausanne and finished the season with best performances of 9.88 and 19.50. Taylor will head to Texas Tech in the fall, which could further position Tate for long-term success, under the tutelage of Director Wes Kittley and Associate Head Coach Calvin Robinson. Of course, if he runs anywhere near 19.50 in the 200m, he would set a collegiate record. And that just may be the trajectory that Taylor is on after the summer he's had. America's next great sprint star has arrived. Don't Miss A Second Of The 2026 Diamond League The Diamond League is streaming live on FloTrack and the FloSports app. FloTrack's Diamond League coverage includes live events, replays, videos, and articles throughout the season. Where To Watch Diamond League? The Wanda Diamond League will be broadcast on FloTrack and the FloSports app. FloTrack Archived Footage Video footage from each event will be archived and stored in a video library for FloTrack subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscriptions. Join The Track & Field Conversation On Social
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