Matthew Boling
Matthew Boling (born June 20, 2000) is an American track and field athlete specializing in the sprints and long jump. He won four gold medals at the 2019 Pan American U20 Championships in the 100 m, 200 m, 4 × 100 m relay and 4 × 400 m relay, and helped set world under-20 records in both of the relay races for the United States. He also ran in the semi-final for the American team at the 2018 World U20 Championships that went on to earn silver in the final. Boling gained national attention during the Spring  of 2019 for his accomplishments in high school track and field. In March, he leaped the farthest in the long jump for a high school athlete in ten years with a 26' 3.5" (8.01 m) mark at the Texas Relays, and then bested the high school all-conditions 100 m record, breaking the 10-second barrier with a wind-assisted 9.98 seconds run on April 27, 2019. Boling finished his high school track career in May at the Texas state championships by running a 44.74 second anchor in the relay for the Strake Jesuit Crusaders, coming from behind to win  in the fastest time for a high school team in the nation that year (3:10.56) Early life. Matthew Boling was born to Mark and Monique Boling on June 20, 2000, with a twin brother, Michael. They grew up in Houston, Texas and attended River Oaks Baptist School, where Matthew began running track. The two then began attending Strake Jesuit College Preparatory. Initially, Matthew competed in the high jump, then began focusing on the long jump and the 400m. At the 2018 IAAF World U20 Championships, Boling ran the opening leg for the USA's relay team, which went on  to get the silver medal in the final. In November that year, he committed to the University of Georgia. Breakthrough. Boling went viral in 2019 when he broke the 10-second barrier with a wind-aided 9.98 seconds on April 27, 2019, setting the high school all-conditions record in the 100m. He also long jumped 26 ft, 3in (8.01m) at the Texas Relays, the furthest jump for a high school athlete in 10 years. He won both events at the Texas UIL 6A State Championships, setting the wind-legal US high school record of 10.13 seconds  in the 100m, and anchored Strake Jesuit to 3rd in the . He went viral once again in the when he split 44.74 seconds on his anchor leg to bring Strake Jesuit a win from over 20m behind. After winning the 100m and 200m at the USA U20 Championships, Boling turned the double at the 2019 Pan American U20 Athletics Championships in San José, Costa Rica. Both times (10.11 and 20.31, respectively) were personal bests, and his 100m time of 10.11 was also a championship record. He then ran the 4th and 2nd legs for the  USA's and teams, respectively, both setting World U20 records. For his performances, Gatorade awarded Boling its National Boys Track & Field Player of the Year honors for 2018–19, and he was named the 2019 High School Boys Athlete Of The Year by "Track & Field News". Collegiate career. 2020. Before his first season at Georgia was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, Boling attempted the 60m, 200m, Long Jump and the indoors. At the SEC Indoor Championships, Boling finished second overall in the 200m with 20.71 seconds, losing to Terrance Laird of LSU from the first section. 2021 . Returning to track, Boling again tried each event and chose to focus on the 200m for the indoor season. At the SEC Championships, he was disqualified in the final for stepping out of his lane on the final turn, and Laird took the title. However, because he ranked high enough by running 20.37 in his preliminary, he qualified for his first NCAA Indoor Championships, where he corrected his mistake and won the national title. He clocked a 20.19, the joint-sixth fastest time in history. Laird and Boling's rivalry was set to grow in the outdoor season with  the addition of the 100m and . At the SEC Outdoor Championships, Laird won the 100m/200m double, while Boling finished 2nd and 3rd, respectively. His time of 20.06 seconds was a personal best in the 200m. Boling ran the anchor for Georgia's , with a slight lead but was caught by Laird and finished 2nd. At the NCAA Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, Boling finished 6th and 5th in the 100m and 200m, respectively. Boling was considered a Freshman in 2021 by many, due to COVID-19 causing a short season his Freshman year . Boling stayed in Eugene for the US Olympic Trials, where he finished 14th overall in the 100m semis and 9th overall in the 200m semis, bringing his first complete College season and first Olympic tryout to an end.