- YouTuber plans to compete at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles
- IShowSpeed recently went head-to-head with US sprint champion Noah Lyles
- Three sprinters from the USA made the 2024 Olympic 100 meters final
Well, he is called IShowSpeed for a reason – and now the YouTuber plans to prove it by competing in the sprint events at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Running for sure
IShowSpeed – real name Jason Watkins Jr – announced his intention at a panel discussion at ComplexCon in Las Vegas.
“2028. I’ll be running in the Olympics for sure,” he said, as reported by Dextero. “I’m going to do 100 meters and 50 meters and maybe 200.”
It was swiftly pointed out that 50 meters sprint isn’t an Olympic event. IShowSpeed replied: “You know what I mean, 100 meters then.”
IShowSpeed is known for feats of athleticism in his YouTube videos, such as earlier in the year when he went viral for a clip of some amazing parkour in Italy. He recently tested himself against US Olympian Noah Lyles in MrBeast’s $100k race earlier this month. However, the YouTuber was beaten by the professional athlete – but not by much. IShowSpeed did get the better start, but Olympic gold medallist Lyles powered past before reaching the line.
US strength in depth
Whether IShowSpeed can make it to the Olympics is another matter. The US selection criteria is notoriously unforgiving. To make it to either – or both – the 100 and 200 meters in Los Angeles, he will have to place in the top three at the US Trials, held earlier in the summer.
In addition, there is strength in depth in US sprinting. Three US men made the 100 meters final in Paris earlier this year – Lyles, Fred Kerley and Kenneth Bednarek. Lyles won, while Bednarek, who finished 7th, still clocked 9.88 seconds.
But IShowSpeed has four years until Los Angeles and will be 23 by then so coming into the traditional peak years for sprint athletes. With some serious training – who knows?
