With the competition getting thicker and athletes getting faster, being a track and field sprinter is not the easiest thing today. But there are some ambitious few who still try to stand out. All they need is an opportunity. A platform to shine. Thus, joining West Orange High School was perhaps one such chance for a high school track athlete. But what allegedly happened in those corridors has now forced him to take a tough call.

On March 10, Terrance Mahomes, a USA track and field athlete, took to his IG and added a post alleging, “I can no longer stay silent regarding this matter. I am here to speak about the unfair treatment, discrimination, and harassment I have faced at West Orange High School.” The 11th grader alleges in the caption of his post that he had been bullied, falsely accused, and targeted since his arrival in November. And that, “Instead of taking action against those who harass and threaten me, the school has wrongfully suspended me multiple times, destroyed my reputation, and allowed students to spread false accusations without consequences.”

This has now led him to knock on the legal doors. The track and field high schooler added visuals of a notice that publicized his intent to take legal action against the school district and the members of the administration at West Orange High School. In total, it was a lengthy 17-part carousel on Instagram that documented the notice, emails, and other materials that Mahomes used to give context to what allegedly happened to him.

The track and field athlete further claimed in a lengthy caption, “I have proof, but every time I try to defend myself, I am silenced, punished, and treated unfairly.” He even wrote that threats have been made against his life, yet the school has done nothing. And that the particular staff member who a–aulted him is still working in the school. The buildup of it all seems to come across in his words, “Enough is enough. WO has done this to me discrimination, defamation, and violating my rights. I will not let them destroy my future while protecting those who continue to harass and harm me.”

In the said post, he even talked about an official, who tried to s–ually a–se him due to his alleged offense of posting a song on social media. It did not stop here as Terrance Mahomes went on to also talk about the name tagging that he has to bear. He also talked about how his constitutional rights have been violated and termed the entire situation around him “increasingly toxic.”

Well, this doesn’t seem to look good for the sport at all. There are so many initiatives in the pipeline to give track and field a push, the rightful one that it deserves. But with allegations like these surfacing, dark clouds loom over the sport for now. Moreover, for greater context on who the athlete is who voiced his stance here, here are a few details about the high schooler.

Terrance Mahomes, the track and field athlete who broke the silence

For those who don’t know, Terrance Mahomes is an 11th-grader at West Orange High School. He’s a track athlete who ran two major indoor races in the 2024 circuit last year. First, a 6.90s 60m race at the Millrose Games and then another 60m in 7.00s at the New Balance Nationals Indoors in 2024. But this year, he’s smoking his last year times.

So far in the 2025 indoor season, the high schooler has run 16 races in total. And guess what? In 13 of them, he’s finished in the top 3. Want to hear how fast he was? In the 55-meter race, he clocked a 6.40s  personal record at the Millrose Games Trials on January 8, 2025. Also, in total, out of 14, 55-meter races, he’s clocked sub 6.5s in 8 races. And the 200m? He’s also clocked a personal best of 22.16s at the Garden State HS invitational final on February 14.

So yes, he has a pretty stacked track and field resume. And his future in the sport looks bright as per his speed. Not every day do you find an 11th grader running this fast. But the conditions that have blown up are a threat to potentially jeopardizing it. What do you think about this? Let us know!