Georgia sprinter Matthew Boling turns pro, remains on fast track since prep performance went viral

Matthew Boling hands off to Christopher Bailey in a men's 4 X 100-meters relay heat during the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023. Boling is making big changes this offseason. He’s leaving Georgia to turn pro with a focus on making the U.S. team for the Paris Olympics. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, File)

His time or place didn’t matter in this particular competition. It was just sprinter Matthew Boling against the posted speed limit sign on a quiet street.

For fun, he wanted to see if he could equal — or eclipse — the sign’s motion-triggered readout in the 25 mph zone. On his fourth attempt, he dashed by and the yellow number lit up with “26.”

The Georgia standout who announced Tuesday he was turning professional has been zipping toward success since he burst on the scene with a performance in high school that went viral. Just over four years ago, Boling made headlines by breaking the 10-second barrier in the 100 meters. Along with it came the inevitable comparisons to Usain Bolt — comparisons that still shadow him but never weigh on him.