Mia and Mariah Maxwell Rule Out Turning Professional After World U20 Championships
For Mia and Mariah Maxwell, the World U20 Championships may represent one of the biggest stages of their young careers. Yet, the American twins already appear clear about what they want the next chapter of their journey to look like, with both insisting that an immediate move into professional athletics is not currently part of their plans.
The question came up during the World U20 Championships press conference, where the sisters were asked whether a strong performance at the championships could tempt them into turning professional, especially considering the pathway taken by Jamaican twins Tina and Tia Clayton, who emerged as two of the brightest young sprint talents in the world after their performances at the World U20 Championships in Nairobi in 2021 and Cali in 2022.
The Clayton sisters became an easy comparison because their junior success quickly placed them in conversations about the future of global sprinting. Their careers eventually progressed toward the senior international stage, including the Paris 2024 Olympic cycle, showing how quickly an outstanding teenage athlete can move from dominating age-group competition into facing the very best sprinters in the world.
For Mia, however, the plan remains firmly connected to the University of Texas, where she believes the collegiate system can provide the experiences, development and championship pressure she still wants before considering life as a full-time professional athlete.
“Mentally, I don’t want to turn professional now. I’ve committed to the University of Texas, and I feel that there are things I need to learn in college, grow through it, win a couple of NCAA titles, and then I will definitely think about turning professional.”
Her response offered a glimpse into how the sisters are viewing this period of their careers, because even with the attention that comes with being among America’s most exciting young sprint talents, Mia sees value in allowing her development to follow a longer path, one that allows her to experience collegiate athletics and learn what it takes to consistently perform through championship rounds.
Winning NCAA titles is clearly part of that picture for her, and Texas provides a program where expectations will remain high while she continues developing physically, technically and mentally before eventually deciding when the professional stage feels right.
Mariah shares a similar vision, and her excitement centers heavily around the opportunity to work with Texas head coach Edrick “Flo” Floréal, whose program has developed several athletes who have gone on to succeed at the highest level of international athletics.
“I have spoken to Coach Flo since December last year. We’re looking forward to working with him. He’s worked with so many great athletes, Olympic champions in the past, and I want to be able to grow through this curve and understand what it takes to compete at the highest level. So this is just more a stepping stone for us.”
That final line perhaps explains their approach better than anything else, because Oregon is being viewed as another important stage in a journey that they expect to continue through college, NCAA competition and eventually professional athletics when they feel prepared for everything that comes with it.
The professional route can be attractive for teenage athletes whose performances quickly attract sponsors, agents and expectations, especially when previous World U20 stars have shown that success at this level can become the beginning of an international career almost immediately, yet Mia and Mariah seem comfortable allowing their careers to develop through another competitive environment first.
Their decision also shows how much the pathway for elite young American athletes has evolved, with the collegiate system allowing athletes to compete at an extremely high level, develop under experienced coaches, and build their profiles while preparing for senior international competition.
For now, the World U20 Championships remain their immediate focus, and whatever happens on the track will become another piece of the education they believe they still need. Oregon may introduce Mia and Mariah Maxwell to an even larger global audience, and their performances could create plenty of conversations about how high their ceilings might eventually be, while the twins themselves already know where they want to be when the championship ends.
