At the 2025 Texas UIL 6A State Championships, the crowd inside Mike A. Myers Stadium witnessed something that didn’t just shake up high school track — it shifted the global sprinting conversation.
Tate Taylor, a junior from Harlan High School in San Antonio, exploded down lane five in the boys’ 100-meter final, crossing the finish line in a legal wind of 9.92 seconds (+1.1) — a time that places him as the No. 2 U20 sprinter in world history.
The only athlete faster in this age group? Letsile Tebogo, the Olympic champion from Botswana who clocked 9.91 as a teenager and has since taken the world stage by storm.
Taylor’s performance doesn’t just crown him the top high school sprinter in the United States this season — it marks him as one of the fastest teenage athletes ever.
Before this weekend, Taylor was known among Texas sprint circles as a steadily rising force. His PR heading into the state meet stood at 10.08 seconds, set just a few weeks prior at the UIL 6A Region IV & Wheelchair Championships, where he also clocked 20.88 in the 200m and ran on a 4×100 relay that posted a 41.07.
But nothing hinted that a historic sub-10 performance was about to erupt. Even Texas, the most competitive high school sprinting state in the country, rarely sees wind-legal marks dip below 10 seconds. And yet, in a loaded field where he entered ranked just fourth on the national descending order list — and third in the state — Taylor pulled off a performance for the ages.
His name now sits beside professionals. This wasn’t a wind-aided effort either — the +1.1 m/s wind made the time perfectly legal for record purposes, and the 9.92 will go down as one of the fastest ever recorded by a high school athlete at any age, in any country.
To fully understand the magnitude of 9.92, you have to look beyond state titles or national rankings. At the World Athletics U20 level, only one person — Letsile Tebogo — has ever run faster as a teenager. Tebogo’s 9.91 from 2022 made headlines around the globe, but what Taylor just did in Austin wasn’t far off.
He becomes the No. 2 performer in U20 history, leapfrogging names like Trayvon Bromell, Erriyon Knighton, and Noah Lyles — athletes who’ve gone on to win medals at the senior world and Olympic level.
Erriyon Knighton, one of the most decorated U.S. teen sprinters, never broke 10 flat in high school.
Noah Lyles, known for his 200-meter dominance, ran 10.14 as a prep.
Trayvon Bromell, considered one of the most technically gifted starters in recent memory, ran 9.99 as a senior — with the help of a hefty 4.0 m/s wind.
Tate Taylor’s 9.92 wasn’t just the best race of his life — it was a moment that recalibrated expectations for what’s possible from a high school junior.
The Road to 9.92: Steady Gains, Brutal Competition.
A quick look at Taylor’s year-over-year progression tells you this performance wasn’t random. As a freshman in 2023, Taylor ran 10.59 in the 100-meter, albeit with a +3.6 m/s wind. The following year, he improved to 10.28, even with a -1.2 wind at his back. And in 2025, he broke into national relevance by clocking 10.08 — before detonating with the 9.92 at state.
Over those three years, he’s also dropped his 200m PR from 20.74 (albeit wind-aided) to 20.14 under legal conditions. (The 200-meter race can be seen at the end of the article).
While his national ranking in the 200-meter is now alone at the top, Taylor is a pure speed specialist. And in Texas — where names like Brayden Dashun, Braylin Byrd, and Maurice Gleaton have all run sub-10 (albeit with illegal wind readings) — Taylor has now separated himself as the guy.
Race Breakdown: A Near-Flawless Sprint.
While there’s no full frame-by-frame breakdown of the 100-meter race yet, footage circulating on social media — including viral posts from MileSplit and DyeStat — makes one thing clear: Taylor’s start was solid, and his drive phase lasted longer than expected and was exceptional, and he stayed completely composed through 60 meters before pulling away.
Where most juniors might tense up or lose form late in the race, Taylor maintained top-end speed and leaned perfectly at the line. He didn’t just win the race — he looked like he belonged at the next level. Below is another angle of the race.
Tate Taylor’s high school, Harlan, is located in the Northside Independent School District of San Antonio. While not historically seen as a sprinting powerhouse like Duncanville or North Shore, Harlan has quickly built a formidable sprinting corps. Taylor’s 4×100 relay squad clocked a blistering 41.07 seconds this year — and he’s helped anchor much of that success.
In team competition, Harlan ranks as a top-5 sprint program in Region IV, and Taylor’s individual contributions have put them on the national map. His consistency across multiple events — from relays to open 100s and 200s — shows he’s not just a big-race performer, but a week-in, week-out producer.
While college recruiters are already circling, it’s very possible Taylor skips the usual senior-year decision-making cycle entirely. With a mark like 9.92 under his belt, Nike, Adidas, and Puma will almost certainly come knocking, and the idea of turning professional before college — a la Knighton or Sydney McLaughlin — is on the table.
Although the next U.S. Olympic Trials aren’t until 2028, Taylor’s time would already make him competitive at the national senior level. More immediately, he could earn a spot on the U.S. team for the World U20 Championships — and potentially run professionally on the Diamond League circuit.
And for the World U20 Championships? He’s a lock. The only question is whether his next race will come in a U.S. jersey or with a pro contract.
Balancing Stardom and Sanity.
At just 17 years old, Taylor is being thrust into a spotlight that very few athletes — let alone high schoolers — are prepared for. But based on interviews, social posts, and body language, he seems more than ready.
His now-viral post-race interview showed calm confidence rather than cocky celebration. He acknowledged his team, his competition, and even let the moment breathe.
That emotional maturity may prove just as valuable as his sprint mechanics in the long run.
Whether Taylor decides to go pro, run NCAA, or simply take the summer off to rest and reload, one thing is certain: he’s already changed the landscape of high school sprinting.
For future juniors lining up in Texas or anywhere else, 9.92 will now loom in the back of their minds — a time that was previously unthinkable for a high schooler, let alone someone who wasn’t even expected to win his state meet.
Tate Taylor has sprinted into history. And if 9.92 was his warm-up, the world better be ready for what comes next.
SOURCE: si.com