Sprinters Earn Readers' and Editors' Choice Awards

Track and field fans voiced their choices in this week's DyeStat's Performance of the Week poll, while DyeStat's editors made their own selection.

Readers’ Choice: Matthew Boling

With 30.81 percent of the vote, Matthew Boling won our Readers’ Choice vote, beating Briana Williams with her second-place tally of 27.03 percent.

Boling brought his sprint and jump talents to the USATF U-20 Championships and he put them on full display over two days of competition.

His first final came in the long jump, possibly his best event. Boling had been in a position to qualify for Team USATF at the Pan Am U-20 Championships until the final round when his best of 25-3.50 (7.71m) was surpassed, pushing him to third.

Watch Boling's top jump at USATF.TV.

Boling than followed that up about 30 minutes later by winning the 100 meters in 10.15. He got off to a slow start, but once he reached full speed, no one else could match him.

It was not an improvement on his personal best, but it was a good sign for what he could do in the 200 meters. Watch Boling's first-day interview on DyeStat.com.

Watch Boling's race on USATF.TV.

The final day of the USATF U-20 Championships saw Boling take on the 200 meters. Originally a 400-meter runner, there was little doubt he could run a strong 200 meters, given his new-found talents at the 100 meters.

Boling once again showed himself to be the class of the field. He won with daylight behind him, running a personal best 20.36. Watch Boling's post-race interview on DyeStat.com.

Watch Boling's race on USATF.TV.

Boling is set to compete in the 100 and 200 meters at the Pan Am U-20 Championships next month. After that, he will begin his freshman year at Georgia.

Editors’ Choice: Briana Williams and Shaunae Miller-Uibo

There were many great performances this week, but two sprinting performances stand out. Briana Williams only finished third in the Jamaican National Championships, but her 10.94 clocking both broke the national high school record, but it also qualified her for the IAAF World Outdoor Championships in the fall.

After primarily running spring campaign for her high school, Northeast (Oakland Park) FL, in 2018, the then sophomore went on to win the 100 and 200 meters at the IAAF World U-20 Championships.

Now a junior, Williams took a slightly different approach to the season to accommodate her larger goals. She raced sparingly for her high school, but when she finally started to open up in the 100 meters, she has made a strong impression.

If there remains any doubt of Williams' talent, it should be noted who beat her in the 100-meter final at the Jamaican National Championships. The names ahead of her on the race results are none other than Olympic sprint champions Elaine Thompson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. Even if Williams only maintains her current level, she will be a regular feature in the future on the international circuit.

The other performance that deserves attention is Shaunae Miller-Uibo's world best in the 300 meters at the Ostrava Golden Spike. The 2016 Olympic champion at 400 meters believes she is in the best shape of her life and she showed it last week.

Miller-Uibo ran 34.41 to take nearly a second off the previous world best, set by Mexico's Ana Guevara in 2003, of 35.30. It is an impressive performance in the infrequently run race. The IAAF does not consider the 300 meters to be a record eligible event.

The only question remaining is what more can Miller-Uibo do this year. The IAAF World Outdoor Championships are still more than three months away. Can Miller-Uibo maintain or improve on her current form by then? If she can, those championships could be very special for the sprinter from The Bahamas.