7th grader great at mulitple events - what to choose?

Future decathlete super star I'd say, or a mid d beast. Prolly decathlete tho.

Assuming he's having fun just keep on doing what you're doing.

Develop his speed and athleticism now and keep him motivated. Puberty will decide what events he should pursue

Keep him doing many things. Encourage him to participate in a fall sport. Let him continue to develop as a complete athlete. Plenty of time for specialization later.

Definitely looks like a decathlete right now, but encourage him to run cross country in the fall just to try it out. If he's training like a middle school sprinter and runs sub-5:00, we're talking a potential sub-4:00 high schooler, and if he gets to that level in the distance events he might have a shot at Michael Granville's 800m national record. Assuming he's not doing serious training like most middle schoolers, this kid is probably the most talented I've ever seen or heard of.

Full story is that the kid has pedigree. His late Dad was a 10.05 100m / 19.99 sec 200m sprinter and his mom was a former world top 10 800 meter runner. Mom says she just wants him to have fun now and when the time is right (maturity I suppose) she will push for more. She watches from afar (stays in the stands which is a blessing and she seems to respect my decisions). Seems like what I'm doing is working, but I know the talent I have and I want to stare him in the right direction. He trains 5 times a week (Wed and Sun off) and I really haven't given him any extra special attention/training. I treat him like the other athletes, which he seems to prefer. But he is elite. At what point to I treat him as such ? When, if ever in middle school, do I change my expectations/raise the bar ?

In many ways, he's a lot like I was at his age, except he's better. During my 7th grade year, the first time I did the mile I broke 5 in jeans and sneakers, I long jumped over 18 feet, I don't recall what my triple jump was but I was like a grasshopper, and so on.

I was from a small town and due to the small-town-god status, I began to feel crushed under other people's expectations. I started to yearn for the good old days, i.e., the year prior, where I could just ride my bike and go to the arcade. I got injured, discovered math and computers, and lost nearly all interest in sport. (Only recently, over the past few years, did I start running again -- some nearly 30 years later.)

I don't think that was a bad outcome. I identity first and foremost as an academic. However, if you want to nurture a child's development, you have to manage expectations carefully. Treat him like any other kid, don't fawn over any of his achievements, humble him when he starts to get a big head about himself, and talk to his mom about all of this stuff. She seems to have similar ideas anyway.