Adrian Peterson is always looking at the bigger picture. Despite closing in on a 2,000-yard season — and possibly the NFL single-season rushing record — the Vikings running back wants to go from the gold standard to a gold medal.

“I told myself that I want to try out for the Olympics, for the 200 and 400 (meter races),” Peterson said. “That’s a goal of mine that I want to accomplish. Unfortunately, I hurt my knee, but now that I’m back and refreshed, I think I’m going to give it a shot still.”

Peterson ran track in high school and was raised by a mother who was a world-class athlete, so the pedigree is in place if he decides to cross this off his bucket list. He said he had planned for the 2012 Olympics, but his knee injury obviously derailed those intentions.

Should he get to the Games, Peterson contends he could even outdo record-holder Usain Bolt, regarded as one of the best Olympians of all-time.

“I feel like I could stand up to any challenge,” Peterson said.

That he can.

The epitome of “genetic freak,” Peterson has defied modern medicine in his recovery from a devastating injury. It’s a miracle that he’s even seeing the field this season, let alone dangerously close to eclipsing Eric Dickerson’s long-standing record.

If he truly has his heart set on it, there’s plenty of reason to believe we’ll be seeing Peterson in Brazil a few years from now.

Duncan Steel | Elite