The fastest 7-year-old around wants to

break Usain Bolt's records

This article is about a 7 year old runer
By Washington Post, adapted by Newsela staff on 02.25.19
Word Count 532
Level 720L

Image 1. Rudolph "Blaze" Ingram Jr. is a 7-year-old American boy who ran 100 meters in just 13.48 seconds. He is aiming to
break the world record of Usain Bolt, the fastest man on Earth, who ran the 100 meters in 9.58 seconds. Photo: Blaze The
Great Instagram

Rudolph Ingram Jr. is a runner. His nickname is Blaze the Great, and he has been
called "the next Usain Bolt." Bolt is one of the fastest runners in the world.

Blaze has a growing Instagram following that just topped 300,000 and viral videos
all over the place. He has football skills, too. Blaze has drawn the attention of star
athletes such as LeBron James.

Oh, and he's only 7 years old.

It was his return to the track that drew the latest round of attention. The young
racer has been training since he was 4 years old. Over the weekend, Blaze left his
competitors in the dust. He won the 100-meter dash in about 13 seconds, setting
a U.S. record for his age group.

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Blaze appears to be picking up where he left off last summer. In 2018, he won the
100-meter dash in his age group at the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU)
championships. He also finished second in the 200-meter dash.

Blaze Has The Drive To Win

Blaze's father is Rudolph Ingram Sr. "I can give him all the tools to be great, but
his drive and work ethic ... it sets the bar so much higher," he said. "I have seen
him [losing] midrace and just take off and get faster. He does not like to feel like a
loser. He wants to win."

Blaze's Instagram bio describes him as "'7 Years Young' 3x AAU All American." He
says his goal is "to get to the NFL." He already has a highlight reel. A highlight
reel is a collection of a player's important sports moments that can be shown to
potential coaches and teams.

Blaze has headlines, too. Sports website SB

Nation says the young runner is "already
faster than you." Blaze the Great "looks like
he has super speed," says USA Today. The
New York Post newspaper says he "can't
stop going viral."

The NFL Or The Olympics Could Be In His

Future

Mike Evans plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was among those who were
impressed when Blaze visited the football team. "I see you cuttin' up out there,"
Evans told him.

Blaze's father runs his Instagram account and oversees his workouts. He said he
is trying to make sure that his son has a normal life.

"I have never missed a practice, never missed a game, and I do all his training
sessions," Ingram Sr. said. "I'm the manager, videographer, trainer, Uber driver ...
without the tip. The tip is just seeing him happy and loving what he does."

If that includes the National Football League or the Olympics, great. If not, that's
great, too.

Ingram Sr. says he will support his son no matter what he chooses to do.

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"Nobody sees the tree grow. All they see is when it's big and beautiful. They don't
see it when it's just a seed," he said. "You got to stay behind your child and
constantly support them and water them. They'll eventually grow to be
something."

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