Ten teens who are taking over the world (of sport)

Teenage sensation Lamine Yamal continued his ascent to the top of world football with a dazzling display against Inter in the Champions League semi-finals on Wednesday.

The 17-year-old scored a sensational goal on his 100th appearance for Barcelona, making a headline-grabbing contribution to the thrilling 3-3 draw.

Yamal scores against Inter (Joan Valls/Urbanandsport/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Barcelona’s academy at La Masia is known for being a talent factory, but not many expected a player to match, or even surpass, the trajectory of club hero Lionel Messi, widely viewed as the greatest player of all time, so soon. But with 22 goals and 33 assists in his Barcelona career, Yamal is drawing comparisons to the Argentinian.

He could lead Barcelona to a continental treble, last achieved by the club in 2014-2015, and the winger was a standout player for Spain as they won the 2024 European Championship.

But the Spaniard is not the only teenager striving for greatness. Though not a definitive list, this is a look at 10 other prodigious athletes who could dominate for years to come…

Mirra Andreeva – Tennis

(Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

How good is she now?

Until recently, the top of women’s tennis was a hospitable place for prodigies. In January 2000, three of the top four were teenagers and there were 17 in the top 100. Now, there are three in the top 100 and one in the top 10: Andreeva.

The 18-year-old Russian has the tennis intelligence of an elite veteran, and spins opponents into webs rather than blasting them off the court. She has been making her first serve a more potent weapon, allowing her to dictate points on her terms and carrying her to the two biggest titles of her career.

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How good could she be?

If Andreeva has a weakness, it’s the most forgivable possible: she is 18. Her strategies are so clear-eyed that when she stops using them, things can break down quickly. Her game has everything required to win a Grand Slam title, and she has a big window for development on her fellow top-10 players. World No 1 should be on her bucket list and no one in tennis would be surprised to see her there in the future.

Need more proof?

Andreeva won the WTA 1,000 Dubai Tennis Championships in February 2025, a tournament one rung below a Grand Slam. Then she went to Indian Wells in California, for another WTA 1,000. She beat Iga Swiatek, the defending champion, and then met world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the final.

Andreeva was on top in the first set, but missed numerous chances to break Sabalenka’s serve and the world No 1 stole the set as Andreeva grew frustrated. The stage was set for an entirely forgivable drop in level, but Andreeva stayed on an even keel to win the next two sets, and with them, the title.

MIRRA ANDREEVA WHAT A GETTTT 🔥 pic.twitter.com/XduLnMoZFT — Bastien Fachan (@BastienFachan) March 16, 2025

James Hansen

Cooper Flagg – Basketball

(Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

How good is he now?

The 18-year-old comes from the small town of Newport, Maine, with a population of 3,200, but his talent is one in a million.

He fast-tracked his high-school graduation by a year to join Duke. As a freshman (first-year university student), he led the team in every major statistical category.

At 6ft 9in (206cm), 205 pounds (93kg), and with a 7ft 1in wingspan, Flagg has the size and skill to be an NBA talent and is set to be the No 1 pick of the 2025 draft, despite being the youngest player available.

How good could he be?

Only three other freshmen have won the Wooden Award as the most outstanding men’s college basketball player — Zion Williamson, whose professional career has been mixed but who is a two-time NBA All-Star, along with Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis, who were both recognised in the NBA’s celebration of its greatest 75 players.

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Sports broadcaster Dan Patrick said it would be a disappointment if Flagg had a career like 2016 NBA champion Kevin Love. In response, Love took to social media, posting on X: “Cooper is far more talented than I ever was and if he stays healthy, will have a far better career. He could very well have a statue by the time he’s finished. I’m a huge fan.”

Need more proof?

During the summer of 2024, Flagg was the only teenager, then 17, and collegiate player picked as part of the Select Team that trained with the United States national team as they prepared for the Paris Olympics.

Yet, going up against LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and company, he was right at home.

His next step will be to consistently compete against NBA stars after he is drafted as the face of a franchise in June.

Eduardo Tansley

Matthew Brennan – Road Cycling

(Josep Lago/AFP via Getty Images)

How good is he now?

Just watch the video from this Wednesday. Matthew Brennan drafts the race at the Tour de Romandie, before shooting out at such a speed that no other rider can follow in his own slipstream. He wins the stage by a (relative) mile. Few sprinters have the power to break this thread — and Brennan is just 19.

Three months ago, only his coaches at Visma-Lease a Bike knew how good Brennan was. The Dutch team are one of the best two squads in the sport. It’s startling a teenager has been their most successful rider this season.

He climbs well enough to compete for wins on bumpy terrain and has already claimed six victories — his three triumphs at World Tour level are a record for a rider under 20.

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How good could he be?

Cycling is not a sport set up for teenagers to succeed. It is primarily a test of leg strength, and with teenage bodies still developing, they are at an inherent disadvantage to their older competitors. With many teams on the edge of profitability, there are no gimmes here — while the relegation system means many teams will hold back riskier young talent in favour of steadier older riders.

Then consider the other key variables — tactics and technique. This comes in many forms — reading when to attack in a messy race, rapidly slipstreaming different wheels in a sprint, or even perfecting your aerodynamic position. Again, the rule here is generally a simple one — the more experienced you are, the better you will be. His potential is frightening.

Need more proof?

His impressive debut at Paris-Roubaix last month shows he will be contending in the sport’s biggest races sooner rather than later.

But perhaps the best indicator of how good he can be comes from the man himself. Where does Brennan see his limits? “I don’t know. I’m not even sure my coaches know,” he told Cycling Weekly. “We’re still searching for them, so it’s really an exciting time.”

Jacob Whitehead

Lily Yohannes – Soccer

(Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)

How good is she now?

As the youngest player to start a UEFA Women’s Champions League group stage match when she was 16, Yohannes already possesses the maturity required to manage the pressure and responsibility of Europe’s most prestigious club competition — especially as a midfielder — and the silky game to back it up.

It’s no wonder the U.S. women’s national team (USWNT) were keen to recruit Yohannes, who has lived in the Netherlands since she was 10 and could have played for the Dutch national team as well.

How good could she be?

It took Yohannes 10 minutes to score her first goal for the USWNT last spring. Head coach Emma Hayes has been unabashed in both her high praise for the Ajax player, calling her a “natural footballer”, and her obligation to pace her development appropriately.

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With a 2027 World Cup to prepare for, Yohannes will no doubt continue growing under Hayes’ measured guidance, and from playing alongside more veterans on the national team.

Need more proof?

When the U.S. beat Colombia, ranked 21st in the world by FIFA, at the SheBelieves Cup in February, Yohannes was crucial in the midfield, supplying the kind of crisp, creative passes the U.S. midfield desperately needs right now.

Tamerra Griffin

Vaibhav Suryavanshi – Cricket

(Sajjad Hussain/AFP via Getty Images)

How good is he now?

Very, very, very, good is the short answer. Suryavanshi made his debut in the Indian Premier League, cricket’s premier Twenty20 competition, aged 12, and this week as a wizened old veteran of 14, scored 101 runs from 35 balls. For those not versed in cricket, elite T20 players tend to score at a strike rate of about 150 runs per 100 balls: Suryavanshi ended his innings with a strike rate of 265.

How good could he be?

Cricket is a sport where players can take years to reach their peak. Travis Head, the No 1 rated men’s batter in the world in T20, only reached that ranking when he was 30. Which is to say, with the caveat that not all careers are linear and work like this, Suryavanshi could be more than a decade away from his best.

Need more proof?

The fastest century in the IPL was scored in 30 balls. That was by Chris Gayle in 2013, who was 33 and had 15 years of cricketing experience under his belt. That’s longer than Suryavanshi has been alive.

Nick Miller

Luke Littler – Darts

(Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images)

How good is he now?

How about the best in the world already? Littler reached the World Championship final in his first proper tournament aged just 16, beating two former winners along the way, then followed that up a year later by becoming world champion aged 17 in December (despite the considerable pressure of being favourite), thrashing (not just beating) legendary Dutchman Michael van Gerwen 7-3 in the final.

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How good could he be?

It’s up to him, really. He’s already reached, there or thereabouts, the highest standard of darts we’ve ever seen, in small doses. If he stays clear of distractions and wants to be considered the greatest darts player of all time, he’ll have to beat Phil Taylor’s incredible record of 16 world titles. Taylor won his last aged 52, so there’s plenty of time to go. As Littler said recently when asked if he could surpass Taylor: “Yeah, if I can be bothered staying around for that time.”

Need more proof?

He’s already… won the World Championship, the Premier League, the Grand Slam, broken the world championship record for the highest average in a set (140.91) and had three televised nine-darters. What were you doing aged 18?

Tim Spiers

Kimi Antonelli – Formula One

(Batchelor / XPB Images / action press/Sipa USA)

How good is he now?

Just a couple of weeks after getting his driver’s licence in his native Italy, Antonelli was stepping into the Mercedes F1 cockpit for the first time as Lewis Hamilton’s replacement.

The 18-year-old has long been seen as the future for Mercedes after being picked up by its driver academy when he was in go-karts. After putting him through plenty of private testing in F1 cars last year, the team deemed him ready to step up for a full race seat this season.

Antonelli has flourished, already breaking some F1 driver records. He finishing fourth on debut in Australia and secured sprint pole at the Miami Grand Prix. He’s only a couple of tenths on average behind teammate George Russell in qualifying. Impressive, given Russell comfortably outpaced Hamilton last year.

How good could he be?

Mercedes believes the ceiling for Antonelli is huge, potentially making him the best new talent in F1 since Max Verstappen. His aggressive, exciting driving style is already winning over fans.

If he is given time to make the inevitable mistakes — and the right car — Antonelli could turn into a very well-rounded and, importantly, fast F1 driver.

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Need more proof?

If you want an insight into his sharp racing brain, watch Antonelli recalling with impressive accuracy the lap times he set in a track session in Formula Two last year.

Kimi Antonelli remembers every lap time he’s registered at a track 😳🧠⏱️ pic.twitter.com/hWVjWA1bcc — Autosport (@autosport) March 9, 2025

Luke Smith

Summer McIntosh – Swimming

(Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

How good is she now?

The 18-year-old is already a three-time Olympic champion, four-time World Aquatics champion, and two-time Commonwealth Games gold medal winner. Her 2024 Paris gold medals came in the 200-metre butterfly, 200m individual medley, and 400m individual medley.

It was the first time a Canadian had ever won three gold medals at one Summer Olympics. So, in short, pretty darn good!

How good could she be?

McIntosh will be changing coaches at the end of this season, and told CBC Sports she will visit coach Bob Bowman, the former coach of Michael Phelps, who holds the most gold medals in Olympic history.

She could become even more dominant as she aims to take on a fifth event at the upcoming world championships this summer and the 2028 Olympics, after competing in four in Paris.

Need more proof?

McIntosh already holds a world record in the 400m individual medley event.

Out of the top six athletes with the most Olympic gold medals, four of them are swimmers, and increasing to five events, McIntosh is going to have plenty more chances to add to her collection.

Eduardo Tansley

Sky Brown – Skateboarder

(Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

How good is she now?

Good enough to win two Olympic medals before her 17th birthday. Brown has two bronzes in women’s park skateboarding, one each from Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024.

Skateboarding was introduced as an Olympic discipline at the delayed Tokyo Games, and Brown became Great Britain’s youngest-ever Olympic competitor and medalist that summer, aged 13. She also became Britain’s first skateboarding world champion after winning gold at the 2023 World Skateboarding Championship.

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The sport is dominated by teenagers; the park gold medal winner at Paris 2024 was 14-year-old Arisa Trew.

How good could she be?

At Paris 2024, she attempted to qualify for the Olympics in both skateboarding and surfing — as if one Olympic event is not enough — but did not make the mark in the latter. She plans to try again for LA 2028, which would make her a multi-sport Olympian if successful.

Need more proof?

Brown won bronze at Tokyo 2020 despite being only 13 and she won bronze at Paris 2024 despite suffering an MCL injury shortly beforehand. So, by LA 2028, the skater could have her best Games to come.

Eduardo Tansley

Gukesh Dommaraju – Chess

(Marcus Brandt/picture alliance via Getty Images)

How good is he now?

In December 2024, Dommaraju became the youngest world chess champion in history, aged 18, beating the previous record held by Garry Kasparov, who won the championship at 22.

Dommaraju, from Chennai, India, is ranked third in the world. Magnus Carlsen, who is No 1, has not participated in the chess world championship since winning it in 2021, citing a lack of motivation. Perhaps this new challenge could be it.

How good could he be?

With chess being a mental game, players peak later, with Carlsen aged 34.

Having won the world championship at only 18, ‘Gukesh D’ is far from peak chess age, which usually comes between 35 and 40 years old. So there is more to come.

Need more proof?

Dommaraju has already put India back on the map in chess, becoming only the country’s second world champion and first since 2013, when five-time champion Viswanathan Anand last won.

He will always be compared to Carlsen, who is widely viewed as the best chess player ever, so to continue to forge his legacy and to reach the next step, he has to join the short list of players to have crossed 2,800 points (Elo rating) and win competitions ahead of the Norwegian No 1.

Eduardo Tansley

(Top pictures: Getty Images)

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