Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, Texas, became a site where history was created. The 2025 UIL Class 6A state track and field championships will forever be etched in the memory of track and field fans. Tate Taylor, merely a junior, just ran to the finish line in the 200m, clocking 20.14 seconds, taking the national lead. But wait, the Northside Harlan sensation had more to his credit. He had more he could flex. 

The 200m isn’t the only race where Tate Taylor had everyone’s jaws on the floor at the 2025 UIL Class 6A state track and field championships. The man donning black attire took to lane number 4, representing the Northside Harlan High School. BANG came the cue to run, and you wouldn’t have guessed that he could’ve won. The budding track and field sensation was slow to start, not the last but not the first. But then he sped up. Initially, Duncanville’s Brayden Williams had a clear edge, but not for long. 

With some meters to the finish line, the high schooler sped up not only to win the race but also to break the high school record. He ran the 100 meters in a record time of 9.92. Taylor celebrated the win as he jumped around, hit a few poses, and hugged some of his competitors. Just like that, Taylor had casually run to secure the first place and break a record. 

The previous record was held by Christian Miller, who ran the 100m in 9.93 seconds in 2022. The man had run so that it had the fans saying, “A 16/17 year-old running a sub 10 100m is so crazy to me.”Brayden Dashun Williams finished second with a time of 10.1, and Richard Lee finished third with 10.16. The feat only signaled the glorious future and endless possibilities that lay ahead for the sprinter. His 9.92s time (+1.1) makes him the second-fastest U20 sprinter in history behind Botswana’s track sensation and Olympic champion. Letsile Tebogo. What he had achieved was monumental- he left behind big shots like Noah Lyles and Erriyon Knighton, Lyles ran 10.14s as a prep, and Knighton never dipped under 10s!

The fans were more shocked than happy. The Northside Harlan track and field athlete has left the entire track fraternity at a loss for words Let’s take a look at what they are saying. 

Track and Field Community in awe of Tate Taylor’s exploits

The fans were completely mind-blown by the performance put up in the 2025 UIL Class 6A state track and field championships. One fan went back to 2009 when Usain Bolt set the world record for 100m at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin. He clocked 9.58. The fan said, “At Berlin worlds 2009, Michael Johnson said, ‘the person who will beat Usain Bolt’s world record hasn’t even been born yet”. These kids are the generation that was born post 2009 and will be the first to challenge 9.58.” 

There was a time when Usain Bolt’s records were etched in the history of track and field like words carved on stone; today, the young athletes are slowly getting closer. Another fan noticed this and said, “9.92 in high school is crazy. If this new generation of high school sprinters keep this energy up, I think that 9.58 will be taken down in the next 3-4years. Just sayin” I mean never say never. Gout ran faster than Bolt when you compare both of them at the age of 16. 

Another track enthusiast couldn’t help but admire the junior’s phenomenal run despite his underwhelming start, “Stunning, especially given Tate’s mediocre start. But dude has some nice lift on his steps. Simply incredible, and to think, 10.16 only nets bronze and 10.18 only gets you fifth. For context, 9.92 is what Carl Lewis ran at the Seoul Olympics in 1988 (for a retroactive gold and world record).” Crazy to think that the records once set at the Olympics are not reduced to just school ones. 

Another fan echoed a similar sentiment, “Back in the day a 10.4 would get you the state record in most states. Now you don’t even place in HS. These kids are so much faster nowadays. Ridiculous.” If anything, this trend indicates a glorious future for track and field in the country. 

Yet another fan marveled at the track prodigies in the meet, “Both 4th and 5th place, 10.17 and 10.18, are freshmen! The 4th place finisher, Mitchell, I think is a US record holder for 14 year olds?” Clearly, there is enough reason for track fans to be pumped up. As far as Tate Taylor is concerned, we cannot wait for the next time he appears on the track!