We all know about Usain Bolt, but now there’s a new athletic phenomenon on the starting block – and his nickname is “The Boogie Man.”
Matthew Boling, an 18-year-old Texan sprinter, smashed a high-school “all-conditions” record in the 100-meter dash when he completed a 9.98-second run at the Class 6A Region III track-and-field meet on Saturday.
The teenager also excelled in two relay events and the long jump at the event, held at the Challenger Columbia Stadium in the Houston suburb of League City.
The Houston Chronicle reports that Boling’s 9.98-second dash does not count as a national record because of the prevailing 4.2-mph wind, but it is the fastest “all conditions” record in high-school history.
“It definitely felt good,” Boling said, according to the Chronicle. “My block start was pretty good and right out of the gate I knew it was going to be fast, so I decided to turn it up a little bit and ran my best. I was really happy with the time.”
Boling helped the Strake Jesuit 400-meter relay team win gold with a record a time of 40.72 seconds. He also anchored the 1,600-meter relay team, helping it secure gold with a time of 3 minutes, 13.7 seconds.
He won the long jump with a leap of 25 feet, 2 inches.
News.com.au reported that his nickname is “White Lightning,” but he does not describe himself that way.
“Some people call me ‘The Boogie Man’, I don’t know why,”Boling said through a smile to KHOU 11, a CBS-affiliated television station licensed to Houston, in March. “And someone said that I was being called ‘The Horseman,’ but I don’t know, I’ve heard different stuff.”
Though wind-assisted, Boling’s run would not have looked out of place in an Olympic final.
In 2016, two finalists, Jimmy Vicaut of France and Trayvon Bromell of the US, posted finishes of 10.04 seconds and 10.06 seconds.
News.com.au reported that Boling is the first American teenager since Bromell to finished the 100 meters in under 10 seconds. Bromell posted a 9.99-second wind-assisted sprint in 2013.
As Bromell ended up in the Olympics three years later, it may not be long before the wider sporting world is introduced to Boling.
Matthew Boling, an 18-year-old Texan sprinter, smashed a high-school “all-conditions” record in the 100-meter dash when he completed a 9.98-second run at the Class 6A Region III track-and-field meet on Saturday.
The teenager also excelled in two relay events and the long jump at the event, held at the Challenger Columbia Stadium in the Houston suburb of League City.
The Houston Chronicle reports that Boling’s 9.98-second dash does not count as a national record because of the prevailing 4.2-mph wind, but it is the fastest “all conditions” record in high-school history.
“It definitely felt good,” Boling said, according to the Chronicle. “My block start was pretty good and right out of the gate I knew it was going to be fast, so I decided to turn it up a little bit and ran my best. I was really happy with the time.”
Boling helped the Strake Jesuit 400-meter relay team win gold with a record a time of 40.72 seconds. He also anchored the 1,600-meter relay team, helping it secure gold with a time of 3 minutes, 13.7 seconds.
He won the long jump with a leap of 25 feet, 2 inches.
News.com.au reported that his nickname is “White Lightning,” but he does not describe himself that way.
“Some people call me ‘The Boogie Man’, I don’t know why,”Boling said through a smile to KHOU 11, a CBS-affiliated television station licensed to Houston, in March. “And someone said that I was being called ‘The Horseman,’ but I don’t know, I’ve heard different stuff.”
Though wind-assisted, Boling’s run would not have looked out of place in an Olympic final.
In 2016, two finalists, Jimmy Vicaut of France and Trayvon Bromell of the US, posted finishes of 10.04 seconds and 10.06 seconds.
News.com.au reported that Boling is the first American teenager since Bromell to finished the 100 meters in under 10 seconds. Bromell posted a 9.99-second wind-assisted sprint in 2013.
As Bromell ended up in the Olympics three years later, it may not be long before the wider sporting world is introduced to Boling.
A white high schooler in Texas named Matt Boling just ran a hundred metre dash in 9.98 seconds, which is good enough to qualify for a place in the Olympics. Good for him! I'm sure he's a future Olympian and probably record-breaker in the future. Interestingly, SportsInsider and a few others call him "White Lightning" when his actual nickname is "Boogieman", so a few people are calling them out on the subtle race-baiting there. Now for the fun stuff, what does Black Twitter think of this?
