“I’m gonna run in the 2028 Olympics. 100-meter. I am,” said streamer Darren Watkins, commonly known as IShowSpeed last year. While most laughed at putting “streamer” and “Olympian” in the same sentence, Speed just might deliver. Especially after January 6, when he beat the 200m Olympic champion during his“Speed Does Africa” tour.

In Gaborone, Botswana, IShowSpeed went up against Letsile Tebogo in a head-to-head sprint. As most of his video clips do, his race went viral instantly.

Surrounded by hordes of fans, Speed’s explosive start gave him an early lead, while Tebogo stumbled out of the blocks, ultimately costing him the win, as Speed zoomed towards the finish line.

After the finish, Speed was quickly swarmed by fans as he exclaimed, “I won that though!” four times. He then shook hands, shared a side hug, and even offered a rematch to Tebogo: “You want to go again?”

Tebogo, humble as ever, replied, “No, it’s fine. I’ll let you take the win.” On the day of, Speed clearly lived up to his moniker, but this isn’t the first time the streamer has challenged athletes or showed off his undeniable athleticism, and, well, speed.

Last year, he challenged former 100m world champion Sha’Carri Richardson at the Super Bowl. But she refused, as she explained, “I don’t race for free.” Still, Speed continues to generate viral moments that show the world how fast he is.

He’s even received an offer from the legendary Usain Bolt, who, while he didn’t agree to race him, did offer his coaching services to the streamer. “Let’s lock that training session in,” responded Speed, though it has yet to happen.

But surprisingly enough, the track and field community remained a tough crowd to impress even in the face of his impressive feats.

Track and field fans slam IShowSpeed despite viral wins

One track and field fan commented, “I Show is the Jake Paul of sprinting. Once he lines and gets into a race race, he’s barbecue chicken lol.”

Jake Paul started out as a content creator on Vine and YouTube before stepping into the ring. Paul’s boxing career reached mainstream fame in 2024 when he faced off against Mike Tyson, winning by unanimous decision in a high-profile bout that drew massive crowds and global attention.

In essence, Paul built his reputation by taking on big names and celebrities in fights that captured attention, even if many boxing fans didn’t treat them as traditional professional bouts.

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IShowSpeed has been something similar in sprinting. He’s taking on high-profile challenges and viral races against Olympic medalists and top sprinters. These aren’t official competitions, but they are entertaining, crowd-pleasing moments that keep people talking.

Another fan added, “And yet he’s never in his life ran a timed 100m race to settle just how not fast he actually is.” One more fan added, “Just all these publicity stunts 🙄 All goes minion followers know nothing about track and field.”

Speed has pushed himself in some serious showdowns, like when he went head-to-head with Noah Lyles in a $100,000 50-meter dash arranged by MrBeast. But it’s true that he’s avoided running a proper 100m.

Speed’s acceleration impressed everyone; he’s estimated to have covered the distance in about 5.9 seconds, though in the end, Lyles won. He even admitted he was surprised by Speed’s “elite” start.

More recently, Speed has been trying to plan a matchup against Ferdinand Omanyala, the fastest man in Kenya. Omanyala, however, has made it clear he won’t race for free: “We’re not doing it for free. Of course, if we’re putting anything not less than $50,000 on the table, we’re good.”

And then there are the really wild, viral challenges. During his trip through Africa, Speed ran against an actual cheetah.

Videos of him preparing and then running against the cheetah went viral, amassing millions of views and memes, with viewers cracking up at his animated celebrations. Though the cheetah won, it wasn’t before it clawed Speed, leaving him with two brutal scratches on his leg.

Still, the track and field community remains critical. One fan wrote, “Sad that parents let their little kids watch all these streamers. Horrific for their brains. This s**t is not real.” Another added, “Y’all gotta stop going out here and embarrassing the sport, man. I’m so mad.”

Another user wrote, “I am sick of him… why can’t he do a 100m sprint time trial and see how fast he is. I bet he can’t even break 11. He can run the 50m in 6 seconds with training i highly doubt he has that closing speed to break 11.”

In short, fans are torn: some are entertained and amazed, while others are unconvinced till IShowSpeed really tests his mettle, away from the viral gimmicks.