From over-the-top gaming streams to jaw-dropping stunts, Darren Jason Watkins Jr. —better known as IShowSpeed — is one of the world’s top internet personalities. But the 19-year-old seems to be setting his sights on something even bigger: the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
During a recent panel interview at ComplexCon Las Vegas, Watkins Jr. casually shared his bold Olympic aspirations with the crowd.
“Come 2028, I’ll be running in the Olympics for sure,” he said confidently as the audience cheered him on. “I’m gonna do 100 metres, 50 metres, and maybe 200.”
YouTube streamer ‘Speed’ said he will be running at the 2028 Olympics
He said he will be running the 100m, 200m and 50m 😅
Speed raced 100m Olympic Champion Noah Lyles recently over an exhibition 50m
(via complexpop) pic.twitter.com/qbBrOd7bme
— RoriDunk (@FitzDunk) November 17, 2024
While there’s technically no 50-metre race in the Olympics (it’s more of a track and field event specialty), the Ohio native’s announcement is making waves with his fans and 26.6 million Instagram followers.
It should be noted that keeping up with the world’s top runners usually requires years of training. But Watkins Jr. has already shown he’s got some serious athletic potential with various stunts, including a recent video that featured him jumping over two speeding cars.
i just jumped over 2 cars ong😁😁 pic.twitter.com/EXDdEH3mge
— Speed⭐️ (@ishowspeedsui) August 3, 2024
The die-hard Cristiano Ronaldo fan has also played in charity soccer matches, showing off his skills on the pitch.
IShowSpeed got the whole crowd yelling SUI as he celebrated his offside goal#SidemenCharityMatch
https://t.co/EFQUMbmYBg— Dexerto (@Dexerto) September 24, 2022
But his most impressive showing came when he raced Olympic track star and six-time world champion Noah Lyles in a 50-metre dash organized by YouTuber MrBeast earlier this month.
The result was shockingly close, with Lyles barely edging him out by a few inches.
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill later commented on the $100,000 race with an X post. The notoriously fast football star, who Watkins Jr. has challenged multiple times, wrote, “And track athletes think he gon’ beat me,” in reference to Lyles.
And track athletes think he gone beat me 😂😂😂 https://t.co/FYuFqUcxVZ
— Ty Hill (@cheetah) November 7, 2024
Whether or not the streamer’s desire to join Team USA at the next Olympics becomes a reality, one thing remains clear: he is not slowing down anytime soon.