* Erriyon Knighton finished fourth in the Olympic 200m final on Wednesday
Photo Credit: James Lang/USA Today Sports
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Erriyon Knighton's dream season culminated on Wednesday night in Tokyo, Japan with a fourth-place finish in the 200 meter final at the Olympic Games.
Knighton went 19.93 seconds, following third place Noah Lyles (19.74), second-place Kenny Bednarek (19.68) and the newly-minted Olympic champion Andre De Grasse (19.62).
All three Americans scored the top four spots in the race.
For Knighton, it was also his third sub-20 performance in over a month, following his World U20 record of 19.84 seconds at the U.S. Olympic Trials in June. Knighton was the youngest American at the Games and the youngest teenager since Jim Ryun competed for the United States five decades ago.
But while he may not have reached the podium, few would have pegged Knighton where he was just a year ago, and ultimately, his performance over-delivered in a setting that was befitting of the wild journey he had taken over the last few months.
Just a year ago, Knighton won the 200m at the AAU Junior Olympic Games in a record of 20.33 seconds. In January, he turned professional just a few weeks shy of his 17th birthday.
His spring season saw him run a wind-aided 9.9 time in the 100m, and generally go step-for-step with most professionals five-to-10 years his elder.
And ultimately on Wednesday, Knighton reached the peak of his profession in less than a year after turning pro.
The future remains for one of the United States' most promising sprinters.
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Erriyon Knighton breaks World U20 record in 200m
