Quincy Wilson set to become youngest US track Olympian after making it to 4x400-meter relay team at 16
PARIS, FRANCE: Quincy Wilson is set to make Olympic history for the US after making it to the 4x400-meter relay team at the age of 16.
The Virginia native is going to run a leg for the US relay team on Friday, August 9, inside Stade de France, informed his coach Joe Lee.
Quincy Wilson likely to break Jim Ryun's 1964 record
Quincy Wilson will be breaking the youngest male US track Olympian Jim Ryun's record of appearing in a middle-distance run at 17 during the 1964 Olympics, reports NBC News.
However, it is uncertain if he’d be running in Saturday, August 10, Olympics final. It has been observed that nations often change their lineup between preliminaries and finals.
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Wilson’s recent performance that got everyone’s attention was in the US Track and Field Trials in Eugene, Oregon, in June, running a sub-45-second 400 in three consecutive rounds and finishing sixth in the final.
On July 18, Florida, Wilson lowered the Under-18 world record to 44.20. The time ranks as the world’s 11th-fastest time of the season, also fourth-fastest by an American, and would have been good enough for sixth in Wednesday’s Olympic 400-meter final.
Many expect Quincy Wilson to create new records at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
"When I got the call, I was like, I was ecstatic," Wilson said in July, according to ESPN. He added, "I started running around the house. It was just a moment for me because everybody dreams about going to the Olympics as a young kid."
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What did Quincy Wilson's mother Monique say about her gifted son?
Quincy Wilson’s mother, Monique, earlier said about her super quick son, “It was a lot of energy, jumping and running around at a very young age."
“And [real] running, like he wanted to be all over the place. I could tell that he was going to be something,” she added, reports The Guardian.
Wilson was also motivaed by his cousin, Shaniya Hall, who won a national high school title in 400m and later went on to run for the University of Oregon.
“My mom always showed me Shaniya’s Facebook posts and that they were all always winning national championships,” said Wilson. “My cousin Shaniya, [and 100m sprinter] Eric Allen – they were running extremely well, so my mom reached out to our cousin’s family for advice,” the 16-year-old added.
