Fri 8 Feb 2013 | 08:39
Carlin Isles speaks out on fame, finding his feet, and being the fastest

9
Comments

Late last year Carlin Isles broke onto the scene after a video of him scoring some great tries on the Sevens circuit shot to over a million views in a week. Since then, he's been widely touted as the fastest rugby player on the planet.

It's a big claim but one that is backed up by his impressive track times and sprinting resume. He's run against the best of them, but for now at least, those days are behind him.

"Growing up I played American Football, and also ran track and played basketball a little bit, and then I got a schlarship to run track and play football in college," Isles told the IRB.

"My time in the 100m is 10.13, my 60m is 6.65. I ran at the USA Nationals. I ran against Tyson Gay, Michael Rogers, Justin Gatlin, Trell Kimmons.. I ran against some tough athletes."

Isles has said that he aims to be at the 2015 Olympics whatever happens. If he continues to improve on the rugby field and masters the art of Sevens, he'll be with the USA Sevens team. If not, he'll no doubt be aiming to improve on those track times, and line up against the best of them.

Until then, debates will rage on about whether he has what it takes to make it. He'll be the first to admit that he's anything but the finished product, but one thing everyone can surely agree on is that his rapid rise to stardom can only be good for the game's popularity in both the USA, and globally.

This weekend you can keep an eye on the Las Vegas leg of the Sevens World Series, where Isles will play Sevens rugby at the highest level in front of his home crowd for the first time.

9 Comments

  • khai
    1:05 PM 22/02/2013

    Really nice to see someone this humble. Great guy, really hopes he continues to improve.

  • cambridgeshirekid
    2:41 PM 12/02/2013

    Seems like a nice guy, maybe in a few years he could switch across to 15s

  • drg
    9:16 PM 10/02/2013

    He is a slight build, but lets face it, he's playing sevens not 15's.. So he's not going to end up getting crunched under a large forward, he's not going to get shoed to death in a ruck by a pack of forwards.

    I'm not trying to suggest sevens is "weaker", but he's not going to have many opportunities to feel like a Peter Stringer running into...I dunno.. a Henry Tuilagi??

  • rugby08
    6:11 AM 09/02/2013

    What the hell are you on about him picking up an injury?

    Something tells me you don't what you're talking about.

  • matt
    8:26 PM 08/02/2013

    I like this guy, it's fascinating to watch someone with that speed play, and he seems to set a great example every time he does anything.
    More players like him would do the sport a lot of good, on and off the pitch

  • canafrikaaner
    6:39 PM 08/02/2013

    Tower= to watch, shitty autocorrect

  • canafrikaaner
    6:37 PM 08/02/2013

    Well he's got the right attitude and the skill set for sevens. It will be interesting tower how his career pans out. No doubt with all this hype someone is going to mark him for a good smash

  • bmiles92
    1:14 PM 08/02/2013

    Good luck to him, nice to see something different coming onto the scene. To say he's "just some fast guy" is a little ignorant, plus that description can be applied to many 'rugby' players. To much emphasis is on bulk and strength now days in rugby, let's see if he keeps improving, if people are watching and liking what he's doing then it a) gives rugby (whether it just be 7's) some much needed publicity and b) shows that people want a change from seeing big brutes running around 'smashing' into each other with no flair

  • guy
    11:00 AM 08/02/2013

    Just some fast guy. Scores tries because he can run really, really hard. Sorry, but I really don't understand the hype. And something tells me he will pick up a nasty injury pretty soon (combination of weight, build and speed).

    Let's see how he's done in a few years time.