A sub-20-second 200m run is something most only dream of. After all, it has long been forbidden territory for track stars. Not because Usain Bolt will take offence, of course. After all, why would he? Since 2009, the records have been his and his alone. But come the 2021 US Olympic trials, that was changed when a teenager from Florida ran the distance in just 19.84 seconds. With this, he broke the same junior record that Bolt set long ago. No one under 20 has since touched this record. But within months, he proved that he wasn’t all hype when he finished 4th in Tokyo 2021. The only other guy to do something similar? Jim Ryun back in the 60s. But this kid from Florida ain’t done yet.

After all, just a year later, Erriyon Knighton beat his record when he ran his patented length in just 19.49 seconds. That too on the hallowed grounds of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. But over the past few years, he’s hovered around that sub-20 zone—fast, no doubt, but not quite hitting the title-winning marks everyone expected from a teen prodigy. After all, when you run 19.49 at 18, people start whispering “next Bolt.” And now?

In 2025, with the World Championships looming in September, it feels like Knighton might finally be finding his fuse again, and the spark? It just might be a 21-year-old from Botswana. The Knighton-Tebogo rivalry is back, and it’s headed straight for Africa. The Rabat Diamond League will become the battleground for another showpiece event between two of the fastest 200m runners, but the lineup doesn’t just have two of them.

You’ve got Wayde van Niekerk, the 400m world record holder who’s been looking surprisingly sharp lately. Joseph Fahnbulleh is bringing that West African fire, and Robert Gregory just defeated Andre De Grasse in their last Diamond League showdown. Don’t sleep on Courtney Lindsay either—after all, he beat Tebogo in an early-season 200m in Kenya last year. But let’s be honest here—this is about two kids who’ve been making history since the junior record books.

The 2023 World Championships in Budapest gave us a preview of what’s coming. While Noah Lyles grabbed the headlines with his 100-200m double (the first American to do it since Tyson Gay in 2007), it was also about the silver and bronze medalists. Knighton clocked 19.75 for silver, Tebogo grabbed bronze with 19.81, and suddenly everyone realized we were watching the future of sprinting unfold in real time.

After all, when you’re 19 and 20 years old, respectively, and making World Championship podiums in one of the deepest 200m fields ever assembled, you’re not just talented—you’re special. And Tebogo proved just how well he was in Paris, where he didn’t just win Olympic gold; he demolished the African record with that stunning 19.46, looking around like he was sightseeing rather than chasing immortality.  Now here’s where it gets interesting.

Tebogo’s been playing it cool this season—running a modest 20.10 in Doha, seemingly coasting through early meets. But don’t mistake restraint for weakness. “I’m happy to start the 200m season strong, and I want to end the season on a high note. I have to send a few messages to the people out there that I’m somewhere in the mix. They shouldn’t be comfortable when I’m around.” But while all this is going down, something special might go down in Rabat.

The meeting record at the Rabat Diamond League is in danger

Meanwhile, Knighton’s got his agenda brewing. Sure, he’s run under 20 seconds a staggering 26 times compared to Tebogo’s 15, but volume doesn’t always tell the full story. After all, when your personal best is 19.49—making you the sixth-fastest man in history—anything above 19.80 feels like you’re coasting. That 19.77 from 2023? For most mortals, that’s a career-defining run.

For Knighton, it’s probably frustrating evidence that he hasn’t quite found his top gear again. Let’s talk about that meeting record for a second – 20.03 seconds from Andre De Grasse back in 2017. Honestly? It’s in a very precarious position. When you’ve got two athletes who average sub-19.90 against each other, that 20.03 starts to look like it can fall anytime.

De Grasse’s time is solid, but with the kind of propensity both Tebogo and Knighton have shown against each other, the race could end up below 20. Knighton alone has dipped under 20 seconds twenty-six times—that’s more than most sprinters manage in their entire careers. And Tebogo? He’s sitting there with that Olympic gold swagger, knowing full well he can obliterate records when the mood strikes.

From upcoming track sensations to the old guard and Olympians, the Diamond League will have a little of everything, and that’s what, for someone like Knighton, if he wants to make his mark in the face of American sprinting, this is his chance. Just like back in Baton Rouge, this time around, he also wants to be at his game. But this time, things might not be that easy. After all, Letsile is right there.