Man, you could feel the electricity crackling at the 2025 Nike Outdoor Nationals when Tate Taylor blazed to a meet-record 10.10 in the boys’ 100m final. This wasn’t just any race; it was billed as the fastest high school 100m field ever assembled. Taylor, a junior from San Antonio Harlan, edged out Maurice Gleaton Jr. by a razor-thin 0.01 seconds, with the top three finishers separated by just 0.07 seconds. Brayden Williams rocketed out early, commanding the first 30 meters, but by the 50-meter mark, Gleaton and Taylor surged, running stride for stride. Taylor stayed tall, driving into the ground to clinch the win. Can you imagine a finish that close?

Before this, Taylor had already made waves, setting a national high school record of 9.92 at the UIL Texas 6A State Championships in May 2025, a wind-legal stunner that marked him as a generational talent. It’s like this kid is rewriting the record books every time he steps on the track. But what did a legend like Justin Gatlin think of this showdown?

On his Ready Set Go YouTube channel, Gatlin was floored: “I felt like I was literally watching an elite race—the way it was set up, the way they had the intros come in, they had the athletes stand behind their blocks… they did not disappoint.” This tracks perfectly with the Nike Outdoor Nationals’ pro-level production at Hayward Field, where dramatic athlete intros and timed gestures amped up the vibe, mirroring elite meets like the Diamond League.

Gatlin’s play-by-play, “Braden’s got that rocket start… by the 50-meter mark, you see a surge from Maurice, and you see a surge from Tate… Tate stay strong, stay tall, and he keeps pushing into the ground”, matches the race’s razor-tight margins, with all top three beating Gleaton’s 10.29 qualifier. His note that Taylor’s form “gave him that edge over that 10.11” nails the 0.01-second gap. Gatlin called it a “cool race” and can’t wait for more clashes among these young guns. With their speed and swagger, who’s ready for the next showdown?

With Taylor, Gleaton, and Williams pushing each other to the limit, it’s clear we’re witnessing the future of sprinting. Taylor’s 9.92 makes him the No. 2 U20 sprinter globally, and this 10.10 just adds to his legend. Will they keep breaking records and stealing the show?

Nike Outdoor Nationals 2025 thrills with Record-Breaking performances

Well, Hayward Field was electric from June 19-22, 2025, as the Nike Outdoor Nationals unleashed a storm of epic performances. The boys’ 100m final saw Tate Taylor blaze a meet-record 10.10, outleaning Maurice Gleaton Jr. (10.11) by a razor-thin 0.01 seconds, with Brayden Williams right behind, all three crushing the 10.29 qualifying mark. Meanwhile, the girls’ 100m was a family affair, with Mia Maxwell clocking 11.35 to edge her twin sister Mariah at 11.52, both juniors from Atascocita High School dominating the field. Mia also nabbed the triple jump title, while Mariah shone in the USATF U20 200m. With sprints this tight, what else went down?

The hurdles and distance races were just Pauas thrilling. Ja’shaun Lloyd, a Texas State commit, torched the boys’ 110m hurdles in a venue-record 13.28, fresh off a 13.31 USATF U20 win and a 7.49 60m hurdles at the 2025 Nike Indoor Nationals. In the 5000m, Drew Costelow surged to a meet-record with a blistering 1:01.729 final lap, outkicking Ethan Locke, and added a 4:03.86 for third in the mile.

The girls’ 400m hurdles saw Sydney Harris storm to a 56.99 win, just 0.11 seconds shy of the national record. Meanwhile, Cooper Lutkenhaus, not Vance Nilsson, holds the boys’ 800m national record at 1:46.26, though Nilsson ran strong. With these young stars lighting up the track, who’s ready for their next big moment?