Thanks for sharing this vid! I hadn't heard of Cole Beck before. Maybe it's the camera angle, but he looks like a man among boys with his height and frame. I'm reminded of NFL receiver DK Metcalf running at the recent Olympic trial, but instead of coming in last place at 10.37, Beck finished first at 10.11 seconds.
The announcer mentions that he used to play college football at Virginia Tech. Apparently, he was a 3-star running back and #16 prospect in the state, which seems a bit low for a three-time winner of the 4A state track meet in the 100m and 200m. Cole picked VT so he could play both sports. The official story is that he missed his freshman football season with a collarbone injury and decided to stick to track after completing his first track season. It's easy to imagine the lone white running back being gently nudged off the roster, but it's also hard to imagine how the football coaches wouldn't work to incorporate that physical talent.
Even in track the scouts and coaching staff on a regular basis discriminate against white kids. They try to keep whites from participating in the sprints and push them into the longer distances or the field events. The perception is so strong that a family
has to really push back to get their kids a fair shot. Even with Matthew Boling he was in other events. When he ran the 100 meters in his senior year of high school it was the first time he had run that event since the 7th grade. If they do that to a guy like
Boling you can imagine how hard it is for any white sprinters to get a fair chance. I will say this though. The clock doesn't lie and it always makes me smile when guys like Cole Beck become champions. Just in the last 5 years or so we have had a few
guys break through. John Teeters ran 10.00 wind legal. He has since given up track which really is a travesty. Devin Quinn is the All Time Big Ten 100 Meter Record Holder running a wind legal 10.01 as well. At least he is continuing to run track
professionally. I really hope he can make the US Olympic Team. Even to be on the 4 x 100 Relay Team would be great but I'm hoping Quinn can go to even greater heights.