Quincy Wilson is just 16 years old, and the blazing track star held his own against men twice his age at the Olympic Trials.
For the second time in three days, Wilson broke the U18 world record Sunday in the men’s 400 meters semifinals at the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials at Hayward Field.
“Today I just came out here and gave everything I had,” said a confident and baby-faced Wilson.” I knew that last 100 would be hard. I was just studying these guys. Last year I was in the stands watching and now I’m competing against them and I’m just thankful for this moment.”
Miller was asked by the NBC correspondent how he was able to keep his nerve and have the poise and focus to chase down runners twice his age.
Quincy Wilson Is The Future, But His Time Is Now
“I mean, its nothing different. We put on the same shoes the same way. We come out here and its really just who has the better race and we all fought it out today,” said Quincy prior to finding out if his times get him into the finals or not.
Regardless of how Monday’s action ultimately shakes out for Miller, he has established himself as a force to be reckoned with and the early odds-on favorite to demolish the competition over the next four years en route to his breakout 2028 Olympics.
Wilson, who goes to Bullis School in Potomac, Maryland, finished third in his heat in 44.59 seconds, competing against 32-year-old Vernon Norwood (44.50) and 27-year-old Bryce Deadmon (44.44), but qualified for the final on time.
“I’m feeling great,” said Wilson, who made up a lot of ground, surging late to sneak into third. “I’ve never been this happy a day in my life on the track. I’ve been working for this moment,” the young blazer said.
The 400 final is set for 6:59 p.m. Monday.
All eyes will be on the kid who let it be known that he’s not intimidated by the seasoned ages of his competitors.
Wilson set the world U18 and American high school records in the trials in Eugene, Oregon, running his 400-meter heat in 44.66 seconds.
He broke the world record of 44.84 seconds that had been set five years ago and a U.S. high school record that had stood for 42 years by 0.03 seconds. In clearing the 45-second mark, he set a new standard for himsel,f and every race he seems to get better.
“It’s a different game,” Wilson said to reporters. “I’m not running high school anymore. I’m running with the big dogs.”
With more physical and mental development on the horizon, Wilson established himself as a prodigy for his success against adult track stars. Wilson had to wait to find out if his time would be enough to get him into the finals, which puts him in great position for a spot on the Olympic relay team at least.
Michael Norman, a four-time NCAA champion and one of the top 400-meter runners in the world, has been impressed with Wilson but isn’t sure if he is ready to capture a spot on the relay team.
“It’s tough,” Norman said. “There’s people out here fighting for money. He made the final. It’s very hard to say just because this is probably his first time running three rounds at 16 years old. … Anything is possible. He could definitely sneak into a relay spot for sure. It’s all in his hands.”
Everyone in attendance cheered wildly for the young kid who once again ran a personal best and broke a U18 record and has an opportunity to do something special on Monday.
