Daniel Simmons is 18 Years Old

"They say"? Pretty cheap way to throw shade at a high schooler who just broke a record. No evidence, just rumors. Pathetic.

No. He is 18.

“They” are making things up.

Are you talking about Nick Hiltz?

Yeah, it's not a new phenomenon or strategy. holding a kid back a year in school gives them a huge advantage in most aspects of academic and physical development. now imagine you hold a January birthday back a year before putting them into kindergarten. that kid is, in some cases, two full years older than his/her peers in the classroom for the whole ride.

It just reminds us of the importance of birth year age categories in sports. US athletics from high school through to the end of college uses an archaic system of class years instead and then allows this kind of (fully within the rules) manipulation.

I get that the US also has age based club running and championships, but it's nowhere near the force of nature that the school athletics system is.

If you were a genetically gifted, live vicariously through pushing your kid into (insert sport here) power couple you'd be stupid not to hold your kid back a year at age 4 given the resultant head&shoulders above exposure and opportunities it creates.

Personally I believe the loophole needs to be closed within the rules.

Ches was 19 when he ran 8:39 indoor 2 mile.

Chez was actually 19 as a HS soph and simply lied about his age.

Not saying Simmons is over-aged (as I have no evidence to prove either way) but kids who are older compared to their peers, in HS, tend to get found out at the NCAA level. At NCAA's, you're running against grown men -- some already 25 years old.

For example, say you're the top female highschool steepler in the nation and you're breaking records. You expect to kick @ss at the collegiate level. You go to NCAAs and you run into a buzzsaw the name of Doris. Freshman, on paper, but she is actually 22 and has been racing the steeple for 5 years in Kenya already. This is what happened at NCAA nationals this year ().

worldathletics.org

Doris Lengole CHEROP | Profile | World Athletics

Doris Lengole CHEROP, Kenya - 5 Kilometres Road, 3000 Metres Steeplechase

Link:worldathletics.org/athletes/kenya/dori...

This story plays out over and over again for kids who break records but get a harsh dose of reality at NCAAs. BYU has found a mandatory cheat code but rest of the programs resort to red-shirting to compensate.

He turned 18 in January. Why do people automatically assume every person going to BYU are older. His trip happens after high school morons(not you OP).

I call it the Kindergarten Redshirt.

He’s either 19 or turns 19 next month. Either way that’s really old freshman for college. Meaning he’s a year older than your typical HS senior. This is wildly known by current top HS coaches and spoken about.

Danny turned 18 in January making him eligible for U-20 this year and NEXT year.

Dead wrong. Let me correct the record.

He's either 21 or turns 21 next month. Either way that's really old freshman for college. Meaning he's 3 years older than your typical HS senior. He's one of those mission kids who trained for years off the record.

Source: Trust me bro

According to his coach Timo he will be 19 when he starts college this fall.

you have to remember that the general idea is these are student-athletes. ie that we are encouraging people to go to and finish school in part by offering sports as part of it. a lot of HS state organizations will have either an age upward bound or an amount of years you can play. NCAA, particularly at D1, has a years in school limit so you can't do it forever. but i think they are more concerned with making a career of it than you wanting to start school later and play some -- which is something colleges and college sports want to encourage. to me the thing they need to make sure is being policed right is years of eligibility with foreign students who may have started higher education abroad.

i personally see some of this as self policing. i think a limited amount of domestic athletes would be staying in elite shape while delaying college. i also think delaying or dragging out college, for a top runner, is at the expense of pro years. JT Smith did get to run against younger kids via his extended college career; but he's also 26 and barely been a pro. last, i think the critics are neglecting that college sports is more of a kid's concept. someone showing up to college age 25 with a family and kids might have other priorities. and more adult students tend to be more there about the degree.

It is double annoying for gifted kids who skipped a grade (or two), who are running with cohorts that are 1.5 years older, and nobody noticing they are actually over-achieving relative to their age.

We definitely need a way to insert age into the equation, at least to draw college coaches attention and put things in the right perspective.

Why not and what do you imagine then? Yeah - 19 is old old and puts an athlete at a physical advantage - perhaps slightly - over a similarly situated 17 or 18 y/o - but it's not as if our ability to run faster magically increases on our 19th Bday. You're either fast or you're not and there are people who turn 19 late in 12th garde or during the summer after they've graduated.