Good things come to those who wait.
The spectators at the Carl Lewis Invitational--and the other sprinters in the boys' 60m final--had to wait a little longer for Warren Easton's Germain Smith-Mata to get in his block, but it didn't take long for Smith-Mata to reward them with a time of 6.73. That's the No.1 time in the nation.
The only other sprinter in the nation who has run that fast is Georgia's Jaden Wiley, who clocked a 6.73 at the Galleria Games.
When the public address announcer at the Carl Lewis Invitational announced that it was the No. 1 time in the nation, he did not seem to appreciate the crowd's response.
"You just saw the No. 1 in the nation...aw, c'mon now! Don't take for it for granted."
Last week, Smith-Mata finished second to Atascocita's Jelani Watkins, who won the 60m at the LSU High School Classic with a time of 6.75. Smith-Mata's time last week was 6.78.
"I had to come to Houston and show people out here what Louisiana speed is all about," Smith-Mata said. "(Last week) definitely did motivate me. I knew I had to come out strong and have a good block start and have a strong top end to finish it off. But once I got out real fast in the finals I knew that it would be over from there and, well, next..we are going to keep working."
Smith-Mata's performance was just the icing on the cake for Louisiana sprints at the meet. Stay tuned to MileSplit LA for more coverage of Smith-Mata's US#1 and other performances from Louisiana athletes at the Carl Lewis Invitational.