Just days after turning heads with a jaw-dropping 100m performance, 20-year-old NCAA track phenom Jordan Anthony is letting his actions speak louder than any critic. The redshirt sophomore from the University of Arkansas clocked a blistering 9.75 seconds during the NCAA West First Round in College Station, Texas, on May 31. The twist? He wasn’t even at full health. While the time was extraordinary, it came with a technical caveat—the wind reading was +2.1 meters per second, just above the legal limit of +2.0 m/s for record eligibility. That meant his run wouldn’t count toward official records or qualifications. Still, instead of explaining or complaining, Anthony has chosen to reply in a different way…

In a June 11th interview with TNT sports’ Stan Becton, Anthony decided to give his verdict for the next match. Becton asked the young champion, “And does that race, as well as being the 60-meter champion in indoor, add any pressure?” he calmly replied, “No, I will say I am more focused on improving instead of proving people wrong, so that’s what I will say.”

Sharp. And spoken like a true champion, Anthony made sure he set the tone right. Context? The Tylertown native made history by clocking the 9.75 mark. How? Well, this time is the second-fastest mark in collegiate history and the ninth-fastest in world history as per The Enterprise Journal. This feat is more amazing because he was not well during the 100m sprint.

However, the time caveat left him out of the official books. Further, he talked about his health as well. He said to Becton, explaining, “I would say that whole meat, I was not feeling too well so I was just taking races by races. Coach Case will say we qualified in 4X1, so that’s one ticket punch, and I need two more tickets to punch I don’t know what it was. I might’ve had something wrong. I just was not feeling too well. And 100 I was just telling myself just get out make sure I am top three though cause that will look bad already so make sure I qualify punch a ticket so as I’m getting in the Block so I’m just praying to God and my aunt to tell them like give me the strength let me make it through the race.”

Anthony swept the 100m and 200m titles during the SEC Championships with amazing clocked times of 9.95 and 19.93 seconds. This made him the third sprinter to take up SEC titles in the 100m and 200m, having sub-10 and sub-20 second times. So let’s see his journey thus far and what a legendary sprinter said about him.

Jordan Anthony is not new to turning heads

Being this close to making history, Anthony knows his game. Just this year, he was named 2025 SEC Outdoor Runner of the Year, and Razorback men’s head coach Chris Bucknam earned SEC Coach of the Year in voting by league coaches. The standout sprinter cemented his position on the Bowerman watch list after clocking a world-class time of 9.75 w seconds in the 100m at the NCAA West First Round. On top of that, the 20-year-old also became the Razorbacks’ first outdoor conference sprinter of the year since Caleb Cross in 2012.

He just casually ran the most famous race of the year while being sick. Meanwhile, Noah Williams, a 400m aficionado, is saying none of the legends are now secure for the World Championships. Williams did not sugarcoat anything on his podcast “Track World News” with Colin Waitzman on 9th June 2025. He explained why the college sophomore was a dangerous competitor because of the time that he clocked in this match.

He said, “So with that, his talent level, although he hasn’t competed with most of the guys, his talent level is better than 95% of the field that’s going to be at USA’s. There are guys who just straight up are not capable of doing that. Christian Coleman was a prime athlete, but not in 2025. A prime Fred Kerley can do that, but not in 2025.” So even a legend is confident of Anthony’s prowess. What do you think about his future challenges? Thoughts.