Teen sensations to Olympic medallists: Prefontaine Classic men's 100 metres packs a punch

As daunting as taking the line with Olympic medallists is for a professional sprinter, there might be a bigger challenge ahead for 18-year-old sensation Erriyon Knighton.

"Be yourself, don't think about the pressure," was the advice from Canada's Andre De Grasse while speaking to reporters last week about the Florida high schooler being hailed as the next Usain Bolt.

De Grasse was often mentioned in the same breath as the eight-time Olympic champion and iconic sprinter before, during and after winning three medals at his 2016 Summer Games debut in Rio. He stepped out of the retired Bolt's shadow last summer, winning Olympic 100-metre bronze and 200 gold in Tokyo.

"I wanted to be just me," said De Grasse, whose 19.62-second performance in the 200 is a Games record. "I think now that I've won a gold medal it takes away that moment a little bit just to say, 'he's a champion as well' not just the guy who ran against Usain Bolt."

On April 30, Knighton ran 19.49 at the LSU Invitational in Baton Rouge, La., to set a new Under-20 world record and become the fourth-fastest overall over 200 in history behind Bolt (19.19), Yohan Blake (19.26) and Michael Johnson (19.32). This Saturday, Knighton will be aiming for his first-ever sub-10 clocking in the 100 against De Grasse and seven other men at the Diamond League's Prefontaine Classic.

"He's very young and talented," said De Grasse, the defending Prefontaine champion, who relishes the chance to race Knighton for years to come.

WATCH | De Grasse defeats Kerley for 100m win at 2021 Prefontaine Classic:

Scheduled for 5:52 p.m. ET, the much-anticipated race in Eugene, Ore., will also feature 2020 Olympic silver medallist Fred Kerley, 2019 world champion Christian Coleman and Trayvon