Kaylin Whitney has turned professional

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Teen sprint sensation Kaylin Whitney announced that she has signed with Nike and turned professional on Monday, which also happens to be her 17th birthday. 

Whitney, a junior at Clermont East Ridge HS in Florida, was one of the brightest stars at last summer's IAAF World Junior Championships, where she took home two gold medals and a bronze.

At the U.S. Junior Championships, on July 5 and 6 in Eugene, Ore., Whitney set world youth bests in both the 100 meters (11.10) and 200 (22.49). The 100 meters time is a national high school record and the 200 time is surpassed only by Allyson Felix's 22.11 set at altitude. 

In a DyeStat feature between the U.S. Junior and World Junior meets, Whitney said she felt sprinting was her "calling" and was determined to maximize her athletic gifts.

Monday evening, Whitney posted the following message on her Instagram account:

Whitney becomes the third high-profile female track and field athlete to turn professional before graduating from high school -- and bypass college eligibility -- in the past couple of years. Mary Cain turned pro in November of 2013 and Alexa Efraimson did the same last September. Both of them were teammates on the U.S. Junior team last summer with Whitney.

USATF was the first to report Whitney's news via twitter: