Boling gained national attention during the spring of 2019 for his accomplishments in high school track and field. In March, he leaped the farthest in the long jump for a high school athlete in ten years with a 26' 3.5" (8.01 m) mark at the Texas Relays,[5] and then bested the high school all-conditions 100 m record, breaking the 10-second barrier with a wind-assisted 9.98 seconds run on April 27, 2019. Boling finished his high school track career in May at the Texas state championships by running a 44.74 second anchor in the 4 × 400 m relay for the Strake Jesuit Crusaders, coming from behind to win in the fastest time for a high school team in the nation that year (3:10.56).[6][7]
Boling went viral in 2019 when he broke the 10-second barrier with a wind-aided (+4.2 m/s) time of 9.98 seconds on April 27, 2019, setting the high school all-conditions record in the 100 m. He subsequently took on the nickname White Lightning, which was a reference to his race and to his speed, although Boling himself publicly stated he disliked attention being called to his race.[12][13] He also long jumped 26 ft, 3in (8.01m) at the Texas Relays, the furthest jump for a high school athlete in 10 years. He won both events at the Texas UIL 6A State Championships, setting the wind-legal US high school record of 10.13 seconds in the 100m,[14] and anchored Strake Jesuit to 3rd in the 4 × 100 m. He went viral once again in the 4 × 400 m when he split 44.74 seconds on his anchor leg to bring Strake Jesuit a win from over 20m behind.
After winning the 100m and 200m at the USA U20 Championships, Boling turned the double at the 2019 Pan American U20 Athletics Championships in San José, Costa Rica. Both times (10.11 and 20.31, respectively) were personal bests, and his 100m time of 10.11 was also a championship record. He then ran the 4th and 2nd legs for the USA's 4 × 100 m and 4 × 400 m teams, respectively, both setting World U20 records. For his performances, Gatorade awarded Boling its National Boys Track & Field Player of the Year honors for 2018–19,[15] and he was named the 2019 High School Boys Athlete Of The Year by Track & Field News.[16]
Collegiate career
2020
Before his first season at Georgia was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, Boling attempted the 60m, 200m, Long Jump and the 4 × 400 m indoors.[17] At the SEC Indoor Championships, Boling finished second overall in the 200m with 20.71 seconds, losing to Terrance Laird of LSU from the first section.[18]
Boling representing the Georgia Bulldogs at the Arkansas Invite in 2020.
2021
Returning to track, Boling again tried each event and chose to focus on the 200m for the indoor season. At the SEC Championships, he was disqualified in the final for stepping out of his lane on the final turn, and Laird took the title. However, because he ranked high enough by running 20.37 in his preliminary, he qualified for his first NCAA Indoor Championships, where he would win the 200m indoor NCAA national title. Boling clocked a 20.19,[19] the joint-sixth fastest time in history.
Laird and Boling's rivalry was set to grow in the outdoor season with the addition of the 100m and 4 × 100 m. At the SEC Outdoor Championships, Laird won the 100m/200m double, while Boling finished 2nd and 3rd, respectively. His time of 20.06 seconds was a personal best in the 200m. Boling ran the anchor for Georgia's 4 × 100 m, with a slight lead but was caught by Laird and finished 2nd. At the NCAA Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, Boling finished 6th and 5th in the 100m and 200m, respectively. Boling was considered a Freshman in 2021 by many, due to COVID-19 causing a short season his Freshman year.[citation needed]
Boling stayed in Eugene for the US Olympic Trials, where he finished 14th overall in the 100m semis and 9th overall in the 200m semis, bringing his first complete College season and first Olympic tryout to an end.[citation needed]
2022
At the 2022 SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships, Boling placed 4th in the 100m in a time of 10.13 and won the 200m with the time of 20.01. At the 2022 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Boling placed 6th in the 100m with a time of 10.18 and finished 2nd in the 200m in a time of 20.13.
2023
Boling ran the third leg of the mixed 4x400m relay at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest.[20] His team set a world record of 3:08.80 and finished first. In September, he decided to forgo his remaining year of eligibility in the NCAA to turn professional.[21] In an interview, he reflected on his decision, citing his desire to compete on the world stage: "The atmosphere around a world championship and global meets is different. I felt so in the zone."[22]
In the 2024 US Olympic Qualifying Trials Boling made the finals in the 400m, finishing in 8th place.[23] In the 200m, he did not qualify for the finals, ultimately recording the 9th fastest time.[24] Needing a top 3 event finish, Boling failed to automatically qualify for the 2024 Olympics and was not selected for a relay team.
^The team with Boling qualified for the final, but he did not run with the team in the final; However, the team that ran in the final finished 2nd, so Boling earned a silver medal for his contribution.[26]
