Before he earned his driver’s license, Quincy Wilson We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back.
On Monday in Eugene, Oregon, the 16-year-old sprint phenom chased down the leaders in the men’s 400-meter final, running 44.94 against professionals and collegians at Hayward Field. Quincy Hall won the title in a 44.17 personal best, Michael Norman placed second in 44.41, and Chris Bailey matched his personal best to round out the U.S. Olympic team.
Wilson, a high school sophomore, was chasing a top three finish, which would’ve made him the youngest athlete to ever earn a spot on the U.S. Olympic track and field team.
But despite missing the podium, he could still be considered for the Team USA relay pool in Paris. Each Olympics, countries that qualify for the Games in relay events are allowed to bring two athletes, in addition to the three athletes who qualify in an individual event, for the 4x400-meter relay and two athletes (per gender) for the mixed 4x400 relay.
In 2021, the sixth place finisher at the Olympic Trials in the 400, Elija Godwin, was selected for the mixed relay pool at the Tokyo Olympics. The mixed relay is likely Wilson’s best shot of going to Paris, but the official list is up to the discretion of Team USA coaches and USATF officials and won’t be determined until after the Trials concludes on June 30.
Compared to Norman, who shot out of the blocks before getting passed by Hall on the homestretch, Wilson didn’t have the best start. But the teenager battled from the back of the field to overtake Khaleb McRae of Alabama and Matthew Boling in the final 100 meters.
Before the final, Wilson was already having the best meet of his career so far. In the first round of the men’s 400 meters, he Basic Running Watches—a time that stood for 42 years—when he ran 44.66 seconds on Friday. In the semifinal on Sunday, he lowered the record by running 44.59 seconds to advance on time.
Wilson attends the Bullis School in Potomac, Maryland, and already has an NIL deal with New Balance. Based on his breakthrough season, we’ll likely see many more impressive performances from him in the future.
Taylor Dutch is a writer and editor living in Austin, Texas, and a former NCAA track athlete who specializes in fitness, wellness, and endurance sports coverage. Her work has appeared in Runner’s World, SELF, Bicycling, Outside, and Podium Runner.
