Amid heartbreak at USATF Nationals, 18-year-old Maurice Gleaton's World Championship dream remains alive

Langston Hughes High School alum Maurice Gleaton booked a spot in the 4x100m relay pool for the World Championships, despite failing to qualify in the individual 100m. He finished sixth in 9.92s behind Christian Coleman, who touched the finish line in 9.86s.

Gleaton, 18, made waves when he shared the line-up with Coleman at the Star Athletics Sprint Series, and outpaced the latter in the 100m event, running a wind-assisted time of 9.82s.

Gleaton, who broke the Georgia State 100m sophomore record, joined the likes of world and Olympic champions at the USA Track and Field Championships, eyeing a spot on the 2025 Worlds roster. He came second in the 100m heats and third in the semifinals before trailing in sixth in the finals, while Olympic silver medalist Kenny Bednarek won in 9.79s.

Track World News, along with Gleaton, shared that he has been added to the 4x100m relay pool at the 2025 Worlds.

At the 2025 Nike Outdoor Nationals, Maurice Gleaton finished second behind fellow high schooler Tate Taylor. He was next in action at the Georgia State Meet, where he clocked a sub-10 time of 9.98s, also his personal best. He further graced the 100m lineup with Taylor at the New Balance Nationals Outdoor, clinching silver as his formidable rival stormed to victory.

Maurice Gleaton speaks after his 100m performance at the 2025 USATF Championships

Maurice Gleaton alongside his fellow high schoolers at the 2025 USATF Outdoor Championships - (Source: Getty)

Maurice Gleaton put his best foot forward at the 2025 USATF Championships, finishing sixth and tying Tate Taylor's high school national record in the boys' 100m. In a post-race interview, he shared how blessed he felt to be at the Nationals and run with the champions.

"I'm just blessed to be here for the opportunity. Um ran my ran the best race I could and got six place. So I'm proud of myself for that."

Gleaton talked about his state of mind during the race and how he soon lost control after seeing everybody in front of him.

"I tried to stay relaxed during the race. I tried to keep my stuff together in my lane, but I kind of got carried away by everybody being in front of me," he added.

Maurice Gleaton also expressed excitement about being added to the relay pool, headed to represent his nation on the global stage. He committed to the University of Georgia and will compete in track and field as a Bulldog.

About the author

Agnijeeta is a US Olympics journalist at Sportskeeda. She holds a Master’s degree in English and has worked as a school teacher, a blogger, a content writer and a sports writer over the past 5 years. A lover of high-adrenaline track and field events, she was also a sprinter during her school days.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone happens to be her favorite Olympian, and the athlete’s feat of breaking four records within 13 months inspires her, apart from the American's body language on and off the track. Grant Hackett swimming with a partially dysfunctional lung and winning gold in Athens is her all-time favorite Olympic moment.

Agnijeeta believes that deriving of unique angles from podcasts and interviews carried out by Olympics.com, along with hype-building of potential Olympic events on social media can help fill the coverage gap during the off season.

When not at her work desk, Agnijeeta likes to sing and paint. She also plays string instruments like guitar and ukulele and is an avid player of word puzzles.

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Edited by Agnijeeta Majumder