To qualify for 5000-meter final at the 2017 IAAF World Championship in London, Justyn Knight had some ground to make up. With 200 meters remaining in the 5000-meter semifinal, Knight trailed five runners, including the United Kingdom’s most decorated distance runner, Mo Farah.

With a burst, Knight ran past two runners and into the pack that crossed the finish line first. He was one of the youngest competitors in that race at 21 years old.

Farah had been a role model for Knight and now they were competitors. Ten months after meeting Farah, Knight is a Bowerman Award finalist and owns the fastest 1500-meter, 5K and 10K times in the NCAA.

Knight entered this year searching for the one thing he had yet to achieve: a national championship. With the help of an “out of body experience,” Knight reached his goal, winning the men’s cross country NCAA title last November in Louisville. In indoor track, he set the mark in the 5K with a 14:14.47 time in March, becoming the first SU athlete to win multiple individual national championships in 37 years.

Now, he’s prepared to leave the program in sophomore Aidan Tooker’s hands. But first, Knight has his sights set on June’s nationals and beyond, where he will have plenty of options as a professional runner.

“Right now I’m focusing on finishing my school year,” Knight said. “One, I have to graduate and two, I’m focusing on my season. I put myself in a good position where if I keep running fast, I keep winning, and those shoe companies will be waiting for me at the end of the year.”

Knight intends to pursue professional running. He’ll sign with a shoe brand, train with their coaches and compete in their gear. Instead of getting drafted by a team like graduating football or basketball players, runners sign with brands such as Adidas, Asics and Nike.

Since the college season is ongoing, he cannot disclose which brands he is thinking about. He has kept much of his future plans under wraps, even with teammates, senior runner Philo Germano said.

“In our sport, he’s like the Heisman Trophy winner,” head coach Chris Fox said. “He’s worth a good bit, relative to our sport, to shoe companies.”

When Knight goes pro, he wants to continue being a “versatile” runner, he said. He plans on competing in the same events he has excelled at in college: the 1500-meter, 3K, 5K and 10K.

Despite his success, the senior has experienced adversity. In summer of 2016, Knight was just 1.36 seconds shy of qualifying for the Olympics as a 19 year-old. Knight will face more challenges after graduation, since he will have to adjust to the transition from student to professional, his high school coach Frank Bergin said

Fox said the professional life will alleviate the “pressure” of school and his overall training will not change drastically, except for the volume of Knight’s workouts.

“Intensity will be the same,” Fox said. “(There will be) more work during workouts. I think Justyn runs about 60 miles a week. As a pro he’ll probably bump that up to 75.”

Knight acknowledges he will have to make an adjustment in training and mindset. Without classes, he will have a lot more free time during the day to build his schedule around workouts and resting.

Recently on the phone with his mom, Knight joked that he’s spending all day on the couch playing Fortnite. But he plans on reading and picking up other hobbies, he said. Knight also expressed an interest in organizing or becoming more involved in charity centered around ensuring children have “equal opportunity” to play any sport they choose.

Regardless, Knight has a new ultimate goal: the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. With two individual national titles already, the Olympics are his new frontier and, when asked about Knight’s chances of reaching them, Germano didn’t waver.

“There’s no doubt in my mind,” Germano said.

Published on April 30, 2018 at 11:56 pm

Contact Danny: dremerma@syr.edu | @DannyEmerman