After the withdrawal of the reigning Olympic gold medalist, American sprint sensation Erriyon Knighton has stepped away from the Prefontaine Classic as well. Knighton, who has dazzled audiences with his lightning-fast performances in the 200-meter dash in the 2023 USATF championships, will be missing out yet again after his recent withdrawal from Atlanta games, leaving the track and field community baffled.

The 20-year-old Knighton has cemented his position as one of the top 200-meter sprinters across the globe. His timing of 19.88 seconds in a 200-meter sprint in his very first national championship has also shattered the record of Jamaican track legend Usain Bolt whose time stands at 19.93 seconds. 

With the Prefontaine Classic to be held on May 25, the two-time 200m World Championship medalist Erriyon Knighton was supposed to begin his outdoor season there. However, his continued absence from the outdoor events has raised concerns of a possible injury. His exit comes after another high-profile athlete, Athing Mu confirmed that she won’t be participating in the event.

With Erriyon Knighton’s absence from the competition, the organizers of the Prefontaine Classic have announced that Bahamian sprinter Ian Kerr will take his place. As of now, Knighton has not provided an explanation for his continued absence from the track.

After the exit of Knighton and Athing Mu, the American contingent will be represented by Kenny Bednarek, Kyree King, Courtney Lindsey, and Jeremiah Curry. Still, Knighton not participating in the Prefontaine Classic will leave many fans anxious especially in the Olympic year, given the aspirations the youngster holds.

After being pipped to the bronze medal at Tokyo Games by Noah Lyles, Knighton is hoping to go all the way in Paris. Speaking to Men’s Health, he said that winning the gold in Paris, “would mean everything to me just because of the work I put in. Everybody puts in the work and everybody wants the same goal.”

Since Tokyo he has forged quite a rivalry with Lyles on the track and both have been pushing each other. Talking about what is next for them Knighton said, “Everybody has their time and place in a rivalry and I feel like just going on in the years, once I get older, it’s just going to be a movie every time we step on the track.” 

However, this season the fans haven’t seen Lyles and Knighton compete in the outdoors, with the latter having also not competed in the Tom Jones Memorial last month. With the Olympic trials in June this recent update doesn’t bode well for the Tampa born athlete.

“Injury or what?” Knighton’s shocking withdrawal raises questions in the minds of fans

Knighton’s and Mu’s absences could alter the competitive dynamics and open opportunities for other athletes to shine. And fans are left to speculate about the implications of these withdrawals.

Mu’s coach Bobby Kersee revealed that she would be pulling out of the event in a precautionary measure for the upcoming Olympic trials as she had hamstring soreness. However, no such update is provided in Knighton’s case. The young sprinter has now withdrawn from the third scheduled event in a row, leading fans to question if everything was alright.

With trials approaching and still no outdoor debut, one fan wondered whether it was an injury or strategic preparation for the Paris Olympics. They commented, “3rd scratched meet in a row from Knighton. Trials in less than a month and still no outdoor opener. Injury or what?”

The untimely exits or Mu and Knighton might affect America’s performance in the event. Mu, a 2020 Tokyo Olympic gold medalist previously also withdrew from the Oxy Invitational in early May in Los Angeles, then at the Los Angeles Grand Prix on May 18. Similarly, fans are also awaiting Knighton’s outdoor debut this season after his third withdrawal. 

“For widely varying reasons, but they’re big losses for sure”, added another netizen.

In his interview with Men’s Health Knighton talked about handling pressure and how he looks at the opportunity to break world records. “Until I get old, there’s still going to be (comments) like, ‘the young phenom’ or ‘I did this at my age.’ They were expecting me to break the world record when I was 19, 20, but in reality it’s just not like that. I’m just not at the point where I’m at my best but I’m getting better – when I reach my best, then we can talk about the world records,” he said.

While fans were counting on Knighton’s performance to raise the bar high, this news left them in dismay. One user X wrote, “Erriyon again ? I’m concerned 😟”. As the US men’s track team gears up ahead of the Paris Olympics, such a piece of news raises a lot of questions.

Apart from Mu and Knighton, Rai Benjamin has also withdrawn from the event. In other events, reigning Olympic gold medalist Ryan Crouser has withdrawn from the men’s shot put event while hurdler Keni Harrison won’t be participating as well.

These absences might diminish the star power of the American contingent in the upcoming event and the Summer Olympics in July 2024. This has prompted a fan’s humorous observation as they added, “Half the American big names be removed 🤣”

As Knighton previously also withdrew from the Adidas Atlanta Games, fans are speculating that the reason behind this might be an injury. Raising questions about his readiness for the upcoming Paris Olympics, one track enthusiast shared an opinion. They wrote, “Erriyon Knighton seems to have pulled out of Prefontaine – we haven’t seen him outdoors yet (thought he was originally supposed to be at the Atlanta games too) – is he dealing with an injury?”

But no matter what might be the reason behind their withdrawal, the US team is seeing several changes before such important events. Will this turn out to be game-changing with the Paris Olympics knocking on the door?