Would you want to race against Usain Bolt? Local runner gets a chance
A 21st birthday is a big milestone in a person’s life and Jaylen Bacon won’t forget his.
The former Lower Richland High School standout and Arkansas State senior will compete with the Team USA Track & Field 4x100 relay team at the IAAF World Championships Aug. 4-13 in London, and Bacon turns 21 on Aug. 5.
Bacon qualified by finishing fourth in the 100 at last month’s USA Championships. The top three finishers earned a spot in the 100 and on the relay team, with fourth through sixth place getting a spot in the relay team.
Bacon is unsure which leg of the relay he will run, but will be part of the squad which includes five-time Olympic medalist Justin Gatlin.
“Competing in the USA championships was one of the best experiences that I have ever had,” Bacon said earlier this month in Columbia before heading back to Arkansas. “We had to run three rounds and every round there was anxiety trying to get to the next round. When I got to the finals, all I wanted to do was qualify. It hasn’t fully set in yet, but it makes me proud to represent my country.”
The World Championships are going to draw plenty of media attention because it will be the final meet of Usain Bolt’s illustrious track career. The world’s fastest man is expected to retire after winning nine Olympic gold medals. Bolt will run in the 100 on Aug. 5 and is expected to be a part of Jamaica’s 4x100 relay team.
Bacon admits he might be a little star struck seeing and competing against Bolt, but knows he can’t let it get in the way of his first crack in competing for Team USA.
Bacon, whose nickname is “The Baconator,” has been training in Arkansas to get ready for the World Championships. He ran third on Team USA’s red squad which finished second in the 4x100 relay Friday in Monaco, a tune-up for the World Championships.
“It gives me a new type of feeling. When I go back to Arkansas State in the fall, it gives me a whole type of mentality,” Bacon said. “I grew up watching guys like Justin Gatlin, and now I can call them teammates. I can say I’m here and I can do this.”
Bacon hopes this summer is the first step on his way to his goal of competing for the USA’s Olympic team for the 2020 Summer Games in Japan. He thought about turning pro after the end of his junior season but has some unfinished business at Arkansas State, including a desire to win a national championship.
The sprinter finished fifth in the 100 and eighth in the 200 at this year’s NCAA Championships to earn All-American honors. It was the first time an Arkansas State athlete earned multiple honors at indoor or outdoor championships.
At Lower Richland, he was South Carolina’s Gatorade Boys Track and Field Athlete of Year his senior season, winning the 100, 200, 400 and 4x100 relay in the state meet.
At Arkansas State, Bacon is the two-time Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Male Track Athlete of the year. He won the 100 and 200 at this year’s SBC championships. His time of 10.0 in the 100 broke a 41-year-old school record set by Ed Preston in 1976.
Bacon set the conference mark in the 200-meter dash with a time of 20.35 seconds.
“Being completely healthy, I feel like I’m finally reaching the full potential as far as what I can do. I feel like I’m only getting started,” Bacon said. “It is just living my dream and reaching my goals. It is something I am really excited about.”
This story was originally published July 25, 2017 at 5:51 PM with the headline "Would you want to race against Usain Bolt? Local runner gets a chance."