LEXINGTON, Ky (LEX 18)- Langston Jackson has always been the fastest kid town.
You can go all the way back to his first year competing as a runner when Jackson literally won the contest named “The Fastest Kid in Town” as a fourth grader at A Midsummer Night’s Run in downtown Lexington.
Jackson won himself a PlayStation and an iPad in his first notable victory.
Fast forward nearly a decade and Langston isn’t just the fastest kid in Lexington. He’s the fastest kid to ever compete at the High School Rank in Kentucky, sprinting a 10.23 100m dash in the KHSAA State Championships.
“I knew I had it in me,” said Jackson. “It was a big jump from my previous personal-record of 10.33, but everything just fell in line that day.”
There’s a good chance you don’t follow track but may still recognize the name Langston Jackson. Football fans in the state may have seen him in the endzone against their respective schools. Jackson racked up 16 touchdowns in his Senior season at Henry Clay.
His first love was football.
Langston had an offer to play for Morehead State if he chose, but that was never a serious option. And why would it be with the offer he had?
Jackson had a chance to sprint for the team he’d grown up cheering for, Kentucky. At first, he was courted by Edrick Floréal and was then pressured into joining the former coach when he took the Texas job. Ultimately, Jackson felt more welcomed with the new coaching staff.
“I feel like they made me feel more important,” said Jackson. “Coach Greene’s whole thing is keeping the best in Kentucky. They didn’t want any schools coming in and bringing me out of Kentucky, and I think he did a great job. That was a big thing for them.”
Jackson will spring for another record on Saturday, June 15th. He will compete in the Brooks PR Invitational in Washington. Another 10.23 time would give him that events record, as well. The time he’d beat? Christian Coleman who ran a 10.29 back in 2014.
Christian Coleman beat Usain Bolt in a head-to-head 100m race back in 2017.
It’s safe to say Jackson has come a long way from being ‘the fastest kid in town’.
As for his next big goal?
“The Olympics have been a dream of mine since I was a kid,” said Jackson. “In 2024 you can catch me at the Olympics.”
