Matthew Boling, Randolph Ross, and Joseph Fahnbulleh will all feature in the same heat of the men’s 200 meters at the 2022 Pepsi Florida Relays, which will take place from Thursday, March 31 through Saturday, April 2.
All three stars will headline a very strong opening heat that will include four sprinters who have personal bests of at least 20.24 seconds or faster.
READ MORE: Matthew Boling to open outdoor 200m campaign at Florida Relays 2022
Defending NCAA Outdoor Champion Fahnbulleh of Florida heads into the meeting with the quickest personal best of all the entries with a time of 19.91 seconds, achieved when winning the national title in Eugene, Oregon, last year.
The sophomore who represented Liberian at the delayed 2022 Tokyo Olympics last summer and finished fifth in the final, is slowly rounding back into racing shape after spending most of the indoor season working on his fitness.
Fahnbulleh, who ran 20.10 secs to win this event at the 2021 Pepsi Florida Relays, was a key member of both the winning Florida 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams at last weekend’s Texas Relays in Austin, and the American-born Liberian sprinter will be aiming to continue his solid start to the outdoor season.
Meanwhile, Matthew Boling will make his 2022 season debut in the 200m after posting an impressive 10.03 secs to set a PB for the 100m at the FSU Relays 2022 in Tallahassee, last week.
READ MORE: Day 1: 2022 Florida Relays Order of Events Schedule
The Georgia standout who owns a PB of 20.06 secs, will start from lane seven at the 2022 Florida Relays on Friday and he will be targeting a fast time as he looks to put aside his disappointments at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
The predicted fast heat one will also include NCAA championships 400m champion Randolph Ross, who will be making his first outdoor appearance of the 2022 season.
The 21-year-old North Carolina A&T sprinter has only raced once in the 200m during the 2022 indoor term when he ran 20.57 secs at the Clemson Bob Pollock Invitational in January. Ross owns an outdoor PB of 20.77 secs, which he’s expected to better this weekend based on his impressive indoor form over the 400m.
Kentucky trio, Lance Lang, Dwight St Hillaire, and Kennedy Lightner, have also been drawn in the first heat of the men’s 200m and they should make the battle even more interesting.
Evan Miller of South Carolina completes the lineup and he will start the race from lane three.
There are some quick guys in heat two as well, with Eric Harrison of Ohio State, Florida’s Jacory Patterson, Markevus Jackson of North Carolina A&T, and Virginia Tech’s Kennedy Harrison headlining those entrants.
The timed-final men’s 200m at the 2022 Florida Relays will feature eight sections with the fastest heats leading things off.
