Harbor’s 200m exploits earn him USATF Athlete of the Week honors

INDIANAPOLIS — Sprinting to the fastest indoor 200m ever by a U18 athlete, Nyckoles Harbor (Washington, D.C.) earned recognition as the third USATF Athlete of the Week award winner for 2022. 

Harbor, 16, clocked 20.79 in the heats of the 200m at the Texas Tech Under Armour High School Classic in Lubbock, eclipsing the previous U18 global best of 20.95, set in 2017 by Brian Herron. Also a standout football player for Archbishop Carroll High School, Harbor won the 60m at Lubbock in 6.73. 

Harbor was second in the 100m at The Outdoor Nationals presented by Nike last summer with a 10.31 and won District of Columbia titles in the 100m and 200m. The 6-5, 220-pound junior is one of the nation’s most highly sought-after football recruits from the class of 2023, garnering offers from more than 40 schools already. 

Other top performances from last week:

• Will Sumner of Woodstock (Georgia) High School smashed the high school boys indoor record in the 600m with a 1:15.58 at Chicago's Gately indoor facility, taking two seconds off the previous best, set in 2012 by Strymar Livingston.
• Adelaide Aquilla of Ohio State moved to #5 on the all-time collegiate women's indoor list with her 19.09m/62-7.75 in the shot put at South Carolina.
• Mississippi's Shey Taiwo became the #7 all-time collegiate woman in the 20-pound weight throw with a 24.11m/79-1.25 at Vanderbilt.
• Israel Oloyede of Grand Canyon took over the #4 spot on the all-time collegiate men's 35-pound weight throw list with his 24.45m/80-2.75 at the MLK Invitational in Albuquerque. His throw also made him the #9 all-time U.S. performer.

Now in its 21st year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week when there are high-level competitions and features the athlete on USATF.org. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week. 

2022 Winners: January 10, Alicia Monson; January 17, Keira D’Amato; January 24, Nyckoles Harbor. 

We welcome your nominations! 

To nominate an athlete for USATF Athlete of the Week, please send a detailed email about his/her performance to communications@usatf.org. 

Join the conversation with USATF on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook using the hashtag #USATF.

Photo credit: Nolan Jez