When you look at Michael Johnson’s track and field career, there’s one word that defines it very well: consistency. In every event, be it the Olympic Games or the World Championships, the American legend won only gold. During his career, he also held world records in 200m, 400m, and the 400m indoors, but there’s one that was recently surpassed.

Johnson clinched the gold in the USA Indoor Championships’ 400m short track, where he stormed the field, clocking a rapid 44.63. And in the same season, he went on to grab not one, but three gold medals at the Göteborg World Championships. However, that indoor record has been surpassed by many new athletes, including the latest NCAA debutant: Jonathan Simms.

As reported by Track & Field Gazette, the University of Georgia freshman blazed through the two-lap race in just 44.62 seconds at the Clemson Invitational Meet. With this blistering pace, he also broke the U20 400m world record.

Furthermore, the time that Simms achieved in this indoor race makes him the fourth fastest man in the category, pushing down Michael Johnson’s 44.63. However, the major concern emerged related to the record’s ratification.

But the Clemson Invitational is another NCAA meet. So, generally, these NCAA meets, apart from the NCAA Championships, don’t use the World Athletics-certified electronic starting blocks that record reaction times, which are required for world record ratification, meaning Simms’ record likely won’t hold officially.

And this isn’t the first time that it has cast a shadow on another talent’s blistering time.

Back in 2018, Christian Coleman ran a 6.37 in the 60m indoors at the same event. But due to the same reason, the time wasn’t considered to be a world record. Furthermore, Canadian talent Christopher Morales Williams’ 400m indoor world record of 44.49 seconds was also not ratified, which the sprinter ran during the SEC Indoor Championships in 2024. So, for fans, this didn’t bode well for Simms’ chances.

The track & field fans are worried for the NCAA star

Running a 44.62 in the 400m indoors, that too on an NCAA debut, is something out of this world. But when Jonathan Simms actually achieved it at the Clemson Invitational, he gained attention from even Olympians like Lewis Banda, who said, “Damn.” This fan, however, raised a concern: “Unfortunately it is extremely unlikely that this will be ratified.”

As per World Athletics rule 31.14.5, a race must use the Starter Information System (SIS) in order for record times to be ratified. However, Simms’ run will be enough to earn him a world best time.

An optimistic fan had a message for the 18-year-old, writing, “Congrats bro, unreal time, hope it gets ratified.” Another fan was just captivated by this performance at the NCAA stage, writing, “44.62 at 18 years old INDOORS is simply silly.”

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Another track & field enthusiast then focused on Rule 15.3 by the World Athletics, as they said, “Not ratified due to no electric blocks.” Now, only time will tell if the 18-year-old’s record will be accepted by World Athletics. But the track world surely has a talent to look forward to now in the NCAA events.