Bronson Hearn-Smith, a 15-year-old sprinter from Colchester, has taken social media by storm after a video of his seemingly effortless sprinting style amassed millions of views. Standing 6ft 2in with a wiry frame and Clark Kent spectacles, he does not fit the typical sprinter mould, but his times of 10.65 seconds in the 100m and 21.40 seconds in the 200m speak for themselves.
The video, posted on 4 July, shows Hearn-Smith winning a 100m race at a local schools championship in 10.68 seconds, gliding down the track with long strides and little apparent effort. One commenter wrote: 'Did someone force him to race, he looks uninterested, but did it effortlessly.' The clip has gained over 3.4 million views on Instagram and 1.5 million on TikTok.
Despite the attention, Hearn-Smith remains focused on his training. 'I’ve got my head down and carry on training like nothing happened. I want to keep my feet on the ground,' he said. His coach, Stephen Garnham, who also coached Olympic bronze medallist Charlie Dobson, ensures that the teen's routine remains undisrupted.
Hearn-Smith started sprinting at age 11 and realised his potential last year when he ran 10.9 seconds in the 100m, ranking second in the UK for his age. He acknowledges healthy competition with fellow 15-year-old Divine Iheme, who holds the world record for a 14-year-old at 10.3 seconds, but dismisses any personal rivalry. 'I love Divine. We’re good friends,' he said.
His unique running style, he explains, developed naturally from his long limbs and inspiration from Asafa Powell, combined with drills like A and B skips and jump squats. His father, David, initially sought advice from ChatGPT before connecting with Garnham for professional coaching.
