17-Year-Old American Wins First Diamond League 800m Race
The 17-year-old runner added a Diamond League victory to his indoor world title. He has recorded a personal best of 1 minute 42.27 seconds and faces the Olympic champion next week.
The GuardianA 17-year-old American runner won an 800m Diamond League race in Stockholm on Sunday against a top-class field. The same athlete captured the world indoor 800m title in March, becoming track and field's youngest world champion.
He trains before school each day, waking at 6 a.m. to complete workouts ahead of summer heat in Texas. His parents were college runners, and he credits a blue-collar upbringing for his work ethic.
Between ages 11 and 14 he competed in wrestling, American football, basketball and track. He says athletes should try multiple sports to gain learning experiences from each. He plans to attend college, majoring in kinesiology and minoring in sports marketing.
Wednesday he will race the Olympic and world 800m champion for the first time in Oslo. He has studied footage of past races, including David Rudisha's 2012 Olympic performance, to refine his front-running tactics.
