TOLEDO — Khary Carson II is running toward new heights — and he is doing it fast.

The Central Catholic High School junior holds the regional record in the 100-meter dash, a remarkable achievement for a young sprinter from Toledo who is still just getting started.

Carson was the No. 1 ranked sophomore in OHSAA Division III track, and his rise has turned heads across northwest Ohio.

Even Carson himself was surprised when he learned he had set the mark.

“I didn’t even know I did it. I didn’t think I ran that fast until I looked up and they said I got the regional record. I was like, I was so confused. It was crazy,” Carson said.

Running, it turns out, runs in the family. His father, Khary Carson Sr., was a sprinter at the University of Toledo.

“I never thought it would happen. He never really took to running. And all of a sudden he just wanted to do it and he started to get better at it and better,” Carson Sr. said.

Carson is just as driven in the classroom as he is on the track. He takes several advanced classes and keeps a GPA that hovers around 4.0.

“And class is more important than sports. If you’re not good in class, you can’t even do sports anyway,” he said.

With two seasons left at Central Catholic, Carson has plenty of time to keep chasing faster times — and bigger dreams. He hopes to continue running in college while studying to become a veterinarian.

For now, Toledo can celebrate a hometown standout who is fast on the track, focused in the classroom, and only getting better.

Photo: Sandro Halank, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Source: 13abc’s “Rising Star” feature on Khary Carson II, published Nov. 9, 2026.