Sprinting star Matthew Boling goes viral with long jump Tik Tok
The University of Georgia sprinter got creative in practice and cleared 80 red solo cups in the long jump pit
If you’re not familiar with the name Matthew Boling, that won’t last long. The 19-year-old from Houston is a sprinting phenom, and he’s a rising star in the track and field scene. Last year, he ran the fastest all-conditions 100m time ever run by an American high schooler when he posted a wind-aided 9.98. But he’s not just a talented sprinter—he’s also pretty good at the long jump. Yesterday, he proved that he has some serious hops when he posted a video to Tik Tok (which already has 1.6 million views thanks to the view services offered by TikTok ad agency Tokmatik) of him jumping over 80 red solo cups in the long jump pit.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_82uR1ngv7/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
That’s a lot of cups
Most people Boling’s age buy red solo cups for parties or drinking games, but the young sprinter had an activity that was a little more creative in mind. In the video, he first jumps 30 cups from a standing position. Then, with a running start, he proceeds to clear 40, 50, 60, 70 and finally 80 red solos. A typical red solo cup has a diameter of 3.5 inches, so 80 cups is 23.33 feet. This is still a few feet short of his long jump PB of 26.27 feet, but it looked like he could have cleared another few cups if he’d given it another shot.
RELATED: Matt Boling wins Gatorade Track & Field Athlete of the Year
Sprinting sensation
Boling garnered international attention as a sprinter at Strake Jesuit College Preparatory in Houston, and he now runs for the University of Georgia. The long jump is nothing new for Boling, an event in which he was a two-time high school state champion in Texas. In addition to running at Georgia, he also competes on their jumping squad, although sprinting is his main focus.
In 2019, Boling won four gold medals at the U20 Pan American Championships in Costa Rica, running to individual wins in the 100m and 200m and a pair of relay wins in the 4x100m and 4x400m. His freshman season in the NCAA was cut short due to coronavirus, but before competitions were cancelled, he won the 200m at the SEC Indoor Championships and was also voted SEC Men’s Freshman Runner of the Year.
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