Little Rudolph Ingram is growing up fast – really fast.
The seven-year-old sprint sensation is the quickest boy in the world after he smashed the 100-meter record for a child his age.
And the lighting fast youngster is clocking up fans just as quickly away from the track thanks to his ripped physique – and a chiseled six-pack he’s had since he was five.
Rudolph became a viral sensation after proud dad Rudolph Ingram Snr launched an Instagram account with clips of his son leaving older competitors trailing in his dust.
Nicknamed Blaze, he’s raced to 380,000 followers – more than four times that of track and field superstar Tyson Gay, who is current number one adult sprinter in the US.
But the Tampa, Florida phenom has set his sights even higher by vowing one day to break the string of world and Olympic records held by the sport’s greatest icon, Usain Bolt.
‘I’m Blaze and I’m gonna be the fastest man in the world,’ Rudolph declared in his first official TV interview with DailyMailTV.
Rudolph ‘Blaze’ Ingram, seven, is the quickest boy in the world after he smashed the 100-meter record for a child his age – clocking in at 13.48 seconds
That figure beat the previous USA Track and Field record of 13.67 seconds for a seven-year-old and puts him on par with the best 11 and 12-year-olds in the US
Nicknamed Blaze, he’s raced to 380,000 followers – more than four times that of track and field superstar Tyson Gay (pictured together), who is current number one adult sprinter in the US
Rudolph told DailyMailTV: ‘I’m Blaze and I’m gonna be the fastest man in the world. When I’m older I’m going to race Usain Bolt – and I’m going to win’. His dad Rudolph Sr said: ‘At first he was bad. He came about 36th out of about 80 kids. That all changed when he realized you don’t get a medal for losing’
‘And when I’m older I’m going to race Usain Bolt – and I’m going to win.’
Rudolph says his favorite thing about winning races ‘is the medals.’
But what is it that people ask him about the most?
‘They say, you really got a six pack? You really got a six pack?’ the second grader replies with a giggle.
The Tampa, Florida phenom has set his sights on breaking the string of world and Olympic records held by the sport’s greatest icon, Usain Bolt
At four foot tall and weighing just 54 lbs, he will have to grow some to match the 2.44-meter stride that helped 6ft 5in Bolt conquer the world.
But he’s made an incredible start by sweeping the board in statewide and national competitions, bagging more than 50 medals and winning gold at the AAU National Championships for the past three years.
In his first 100-meter race meeting of the season Rudolph – who takes to the track in a customized Blaze running outfit – recorded a personal best of 13.48 seconds.
That figure beat the previous USA Track and Field record of 13.67 seconds for a seven-year-old and puts him on par with the best 11 and 12-year-olds in the US.
‘He ran that race with a 100 degree fever,’ said Rudolph Snr, 28, who acts as both his son’s coach and media manager.
‘I told him he wasn’t going that day but he said, dad I want it bad. He ended up shattering everything.
‘His competitive spirit is through the roof. That’s what makes him a champion.’
Rudolph Snr invited DailyMailTV along to the running track at Tampa’s George D. Chamberlain High School to see his boy’s incredible speed for ourselves.
It was soon clear Rudolph had the confidence to match his prodigious pace, challenging our reporter to a race – then leaving him for dead.
Even our drone struggled to keep up as Rudolph scorched out of the blocks and comfortably saw off the next challenge from his uncle, Jaylen Gaston, 25.
The schoolboy has bagged more than 50 medals and winning gold at the AAU National Championships for the past three years
Rudolph Snr traces his son’s interest in athletics back to the 2016 Rio Olympics where Bolt added three more gold medals to his trophy room before retiring a year later. He said: ‘Now he’s got a whole house full of medals and I can’t remember the last time he lost at the 100 meters – it’s been more than a year’
Father Rudolph Ingram Senior aka Coach Kool (center) has drilled it in that only his hard work has got him where he is today as an all-round great running back and safety
Rudolph Snr traces his son’s interest in athletics back to the 2016 Rio Olympics where Bolt added three more gold medals to his trophy room before retiring a year later.
‘When he was four he watched Usain Bolt in the Olympics on TV,’ he recalled. ‘He was intrigued but he didn’t know too much about what was going on.
‘The next morning he ran into the bedroom shouting “ready, set, pow!” then ran out again. I though, wow, he’s pretty fast.
‘Blaze was four years old when he entered his first race and he was up against kids aged five, six and seven.
‘At first he was bad. He came about 36th out of about 80 kids.
‘That all changed when he realized you don’t get a medal for losing.
‘Now he’s got a whole house full of medals and I can’t remember the last time he lost at the 100 meters – it’s been more than a year.’
Despite his incredible speed, it was actually football that sent Rudolph sprinting to global fame.
He was played running back and safety for the Tampa Ravens at six, bamboozling older boys and scoring ten touchdowns on the season.
‘The kid has vision like I’ve never seen in a six-year-old before,’ his coach Jimmy Watson told reporters.
‘One second he’s going one way and then you blink and he’s going another way.’
Video clips of Rudolph’s frantic footwork went viral and NBA megastar Lebron James was among those who shared the footage online.
Despite his incredible speed, it was actually football that sent Rudolph sprinting to global fame. He was played running back and safety for the Tampa Ravens at six, bamboozling older boys and scoring ten touchdowns on the season
He also got a sibling on the up – his little brother Kaedyn, four – who makes up for in raw talent what he lacks in a sense of direction. Nicknamed Mr Wrong Way, the tiny football player went viral himself last year for mistakenly running with the ball in the opposite direction before his coach caught up with him and managed to turn him around
Since then the youngster has been featured on ESPN and invited to meet some of his biggest heroes, including Team USA star Gay and Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Kwon Alexander and Mike Evans.
‘I honestly think he can be as good as any of them,’ predicts his dad. ‘I think he can make the Olympics and the NFL.
‘He can be the number one nationwide in track and field or win the Heisman Trophy, whichever he chooses – he’s that good at both.’
Away from the spotlight, Rudolph and his dad train three nights a week while sugary drinks and fatty treats have been benched.
But Rudolph Snr, who ran track and field and was a linebacker at school, is adamant his son’s sporting prowess won’t come at the expense of his grades.
‘I try to keep his life regular. Blaze is just a normal kid, he’s into Marvel, he likes Spiderman and of course The Flash,’ he told DailyMailTV.
‘And I’m as big on school as I am on track and football. He’s all As and Bs.
‘Blaze definitely understands that he’s known and he’s popular.
‘I don’t know if he shows off his abs at school but his teacher told me the ladies love him.
‘But I always teach him to stay humble because when you get big-headed you lose your work ethic – and then someone comes along and beats you.
‘My job is to keep him grounded. I’m a coach, manager but above all else, I’m his dad.’
Ingram even has a fan in former NFL star Devin Hester (left) and Kwon Alexander (right)
Video clips of Rudolph’s frantic footwork went viral and NBA megastar Lebron James was among those who shared the footage online
Rudolph seems to be winning the race for a scholarship at one of his state’s top schools, with Lane Kiffin, the football coach at Florida Atlantic University tweeting: ‘Who is this kid??? Come to #thefaU!!!!!’
He also got a sibling on the up – his little brother Kaedyn, four – who makes up for in raw talent what he lacks in a sense of direction.
Nicknamed Mr Wrong Way, the tiny football player went viral himself last year for mistakenly running with the ball in the opposite direction before his coach caught up with him and managed to turn him around.
Showing similar flair to his older sibling, Kaedyn then sped past his opponents to score an unlikely touchdown.
But what if Rudolph’s prodigious talent simply fizzles as he fills out?
What if he decides to become a fireman or a math teacher?
‘My son is respectful, he’s loveable, he’s a great role model for his brother,’ says mom Keyera Chaptman, 25, who ran track at high school and was a cheerleader.
‘My dream for him is to be happy in whatever he wants to do. Whichever path he chooses I’ll always be proud of him and support him.’
