Most Awesome Kids in Sports

Eric NewmanJun 7, 2018

Call them pee-wees, call them pint-sized, call them minis, call them tidder-bits, call them what you will—but don't exclude them.

The young—the very young—are invading the sports scene and smothering it in awesomesauce.

Click on and prepare yourself for some major flabbergastation.

No Skywalker Ranch effects here; these videos are all powered by the spirit and talent of the world's kiddos.

Honorable Mention: Christian Bottger

1 of 21

Age: 10

Nickname: Little Fear

Contribution to World of Sports: Mini mascot

Goal: To become a professional dancer

He's done "Gangnam Style," he's done "Thriller", he's done "The Dougie."

He is a boy. Dancing. Cheerleading. In front of thousands. A real-life Billy Elliot.

That's some serious fuel for the bullies on the elementary school playground, but does our boy seem worried about getting punked? Not at all.

Little Fear is truly living up to his name.

20. Charlie Bontis

2 of 21

Age: 7 (at time video was made)

Compared to: Lionel Messi

Contribution to World of Sports: Footballing phenom

So then, where's the pint-sized maestro from?

Brazil? Wrong.

Portugal? Wrong again.

Argentina? Nope.

Italy? Germany? Spain? No, no, and no.

Little Charlie Bontis is from Canada.

Say what?

19. Tim-Kevin Ravnjak

3 of 21

Age: 15 (at time video was made)

Compared to: Shaun White

Contribution to World of Sports: Snowboarding savant

Accolades: Riding for Oakley, Redbull, Nitro, planetsports.com, Rogla, first in pipe at World Junior Championships

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"Overall my life is really good, and I love it. Love to snowboard, love to travel... uh... couldn't be better, you know." - Tim-Kevin Ravnjak

Yeah, yeah. Keep it to yourself, squirt.

18. Sarah Redden

4 of 21

Age: 5 (at time video was made)

Contribution to World of Sports: Sports rap artist extraordinaire

Traditionally, kindergarten-aged sport fans hang a team pennant on their bedroom wall. The more exuberant ones may get mom and dad to shell out some big bucks for a pint-sized jersey. The ones whose fanatic genes kick in early may demand some gameday face paint, may memorize the team roster, and may scrapbook their ticket stubs.

And then there is Sarah Redden.

She coolly raps out her love for the current 49ers squad, but especially for QB Colin Kaepernick. In fact, she hearts CK so much, that she sat still for hours as faux tats—replicas of her hero's body art—were meticulously inked up and down her arms.

Word!

17. Xin-Xue Feng

5 of 21

Age: 7 (at time video was made)

Contribution to World of Sports: Table tennis titan

Goal: To be a champion

You can't help but admire this young prodigy's passion and talent.

Check out the video about three minutes in when she works over Barney Reed, one of the top-ranked U.S. players. Nothing could pry that smile off young Xin-Xue's face.

16. Jack Robinson

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Age: 13 (at time of video)

Compared to: Kelly Slater

Contribution to World of Sports: Mega-ripper

Accolades: Signed and re-signed with Quicksilver, won the final of The King of the Groms against the best under-16 surfers from around Australia

Goal: "...to catch some waves and have some fun and whatever happens, happens."

According to the Quicksilver blog, Robinson is "regarded by many as the best young surfer on the planet."

15. Jordan McCabe

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Age: 12 (at time of video)

Compared to: LeBron James

Contribution to World of Sports: Cager crackerjack

Accolades: Drafted by the Harlem Globetrotters

So we were all wowed by this kid's snazzy ball control. But don't write him off as someone with just a bag full of parlor tricks and no game.

In 2011, he was ranked 14th in the country for his age group.

Oh yeah, the kid has got game too.

14. Ethan Blevins

8 of 21

Age: 7 (at time video was made)

Nickname: Lion Heart

Contribution to World of Sports: Wrestling wiz

"If you want to beat me, you have to train as hard as me, and that's not going to happen." - Ethan Blevins

Yeah, um, so maybe the rest of us first-graders will just go play with some Legos and leave you to it, Ethan.

13. Cody Jordan

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Age: 4 (at time video was made)

Nickname: Cross Over

Contribution to World of Sports: Duke of dribble

Yeah, so when I was four, my parents were quite proud that I could hold a ball without drooling on it.

12. Charlie Allison

10 of 21

Age: 6 (at time video was made)

Compared to: Sachin Tendulkar

Contribution to World of Sports: Cricket champ

Little Charlie has scouts slobbering.

According to The Sun, Essex is already courting him. In addition, bat maker PiriPiri Cricket already has an endorsement contract with the young batting genius.

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11. Heru Kamau

11 of 21

Age: 6 (at time video was made)

Contribution to World of Sports: Kickass karate

Goal: Practice karate until age 17, then turn to football

Accolades: Placed first in Creative Weapons Form and first in Creative Open Hand Form in the 7-and-under age group at the 2012 ISKA US Opens World Martial Arts Championships.

Heru is blowing the minds of martial arts experts everywhere. But the kid is a true Renaissance man...er...child.

He learned to swim after five lessons. He could read by age 2. He's an All-Star soccer player. And to round things off, he won a poetry contest.

10. Oliver Wahlstrom

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Age: 11 (at time video was made)

Compared to: Wayne Gretzky

Contribution to World of Sports: Hockey hotdogger

The trick shot you see in the video here, and another that he made back in 2009, catapulted little Ollie to international fame.

According to sports blogger Mike Levine, when Oliver was asked if he has signed autographs "he replied that it’s tough since he is still just printing his letters."

9. Reese Woodbury

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Age: 5 (at time video was made)

Contribution to World of Sports: Champion cager

Accolades: Winner of AAU 19U National Championship (playing against mostly 18 and 19 year olds)

Goal: To be a point guard for Duke, later for the Celtics

Watch the video and you'll swear it is a follow up to Evian's skating baby ad. But there is no digital manipulation here—this little dude is the real deal.

8. Reshat Mati

14 of 21

Age: 13

Nickname: The Albanian Bear

Contribution to World of Sports: Fighter phenom

Accolades: World champion kickboxer, muay thai fighter and grappler, and a United States National Silver Gloves boxing champion. Twenty-two championship belts.

Goal: To join the UFC circuit

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"When I get in the ring and I see a guy front of me, I don't stop. Even if it hurts, I don't stop."

- Reshat Mati

Safe to say that no one will be bullying Reshat out of any lunch money.

7. Keith O'Dell, Jr.

15 of 21

Age: 5 (at time video was made)

Compared to: Mike Massey

Contribution to World of Sports: Pocket billiards prodigy

Goal: To make enough money at the game to pay for a college education

Holy geometry savant, Batman!

Check out Keith's wizardry on the mini-table (video time 1:24) before he even had his second birthday.

"There's no question—he was born to play pool." - Keith O'Dell Sr. (video time 4:27)

6. Jaylin Fleming

16 of 21

Age: 13 (at time video was made)

Contribution to World of Sports: Basketball behemoth

Goal: NBA

Jaylin has been an internet superstar since a video of him showing off some balling skills at age 9 appeared on YouTube.

By age 10, there was buzz that he was the best player of his age in the entire USA.

Shortly thereafter, he had the ranking to back that up.

So will Jaylin make it to the NBA? It's not a matter of if, and no, it's not a matter of when either. It's simply a matter of for what team and for how many zeros at the end of the offer.

5. Samantha Gordon

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Age: 9

Nicknames: Sam, Sweet Feet

Contribution to World of Sports: Gridiron genius, gender barrier basher

Accolades: 35 touchdowns, 65 tackles and nearly 2,000 rushing yards in 2012 season (Ute Conference Football League)

Goal: To be a soccer player. Yeah, football is her second love.

"The Heisman race is wide open. Any of you want to throw your name in the mix? Sam Gordon is my front runner right now." - Desmond Howard via Twitter

4. Christian Haupt

18 of 21

This is Christian at age 2, folks—two. That's in the neighborhood of, oh, about 800 days old.

This video, which was posted on YouTube, caught the attention of film casting directors.

By age three, Christian had movie star to add to his list.

Next up: potty training.

3. Kyle Lograsso

19 of 21

Age: 10 ( 5 at the time video was made)

Compared to: Tiger Woods

Contribution to World of Sports: Golfing guru

Goal: Use his talent to raise money to fight eye cancer

Kyle is set apart not only for his one-in-a-billion natural gift of a perfect golf swing, but also for surviving Retinoblastoma, a rare and dangerous form of eye cancer.

He was diagnosed at age 2, and underwent emergency surgery and chemotherapy. The cancer cost Kyle his left eye, but he won his battle and has been cancer free since 2004.

2. Leonel Angel Coira

20 of 21

Age: 7 (at the time video was made)

Compared to: Lionel Messi

Nickname: Little Leo

Contribution to World of Sports: Soccer savant

When people use the expression "peaking early in sports," they generally mean someone winning a gold medal or a championship in their early twenties, maybe even as a teenager.

But being seven years old and signed by of one of the world's most premier soccer clubs? That's going to require a whole new expression.