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HOUSTON — Whether you’re a hardcore athlete, a couch warrior, or something in between, your body is currently doing some amazing things.
Heart pumping, lung breathing, kidney processing — there are many biological functions working together in specific coordination to keep you alive (even if some may be going a little wrong, too).
On top of that wonder, humans are so varied that it’s astounding. For example, Judy Garland was 4 feet 11 inches tall with one of the most recognizable and unmatched voices in history, yet Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, aka “The Mountain,” is 6 feet 9 inches and in 2015, he carried a 1,430 pound log for five steps to break a 1,000-year old Viking strongman record in Norway.
These disparities are enough to make you say, “What are humans even?”
To add yet another layer of astonishing human accomplishment, you are cordially invited to watch a video of a Texas teen who is now the fastest all-conditions 100m runner in high school history.
In April, Matthew Boling, a high school senior attending Houston Strake Jesuit, stepped on the blocks to compete in a 100m race. The shot sounds, and Boling doesn’t appear to get off the blocks faster than anyone else, yet he quickly and easily pulls in front of the pack. It then looks like he floats down his lane as he finishes the race in a mesmerizing 9.98 seconds.
To put this in perspective, Usain Bolt's record for a 100m race is 9.58 seconds, making Boling a mere 0.4 seconds slower than that incredible Olympic athlete.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this article stated Garland's height as 4 foot 9 inches. This article has been updated to state the correct height.
