Quincy Wilson, the high school phenom who was one of the breakout stars of the U.S. Olympic Track and Field trials, will be going to Paris, he and his coach announced on social media Sunday.
The 16-year-old from Bullis School in Maryland has been invited to the pool of six runners for America’s 4×400 relay team, his coach, Joe Lee, told The Washington Post.
The top three times from the 400-meter finals are automatically in the pool. Quincy Hall won the gold medal, while Michael Norman and Chris Bailey finished second and third. They will compete for the U.S. in the 400.
Tradition states Vernon Norwood, the fourth-place finisher, gets one of the spots and the last two are at the discretion of the coaches. Wilson finished sixth in the final and ran the 400 in under 45 seconds in all three of his rounds. The relay team will be officially announced later this month.
GO DEEPER
For Quincy Wilson, teenage track prodigy, everything’s different now — Olympics or not
Wilson will get valuable experience as part of the relay pool, preparing him for what looks like the makings of a long professional career featuring multiple Olympics. He’s already signed an NIL deal with New Balance.
Lee said Monday that Wilson will return to high school instead of turning pro.
The relay pool is designed to spread out the load over the three rounds. The final, when it’s time to win a medal, is where the best will take over. The expected team will be Hall, Norman, Bailey and likely Rai Benjamin, the 400-meter hurdles champion.
Wilson impressed at the U.S. Olympic trials, breaking a 42-year-old under-18 record while winning his preliminary 400-meter heat in 44.66 seconds, then breaking that mark two days later in the semifinals, running 44.59. Only 23 men have run a faster 400 in 2024, all of them older than Wilson. His time dipped to 44.94 in the final, but a strong last 100 meters moved him into sixth place, firmly in the conversation for the relay team.
Required reading
(Photo: Ben Lonergan / The Register-Guard / USA Today)
Christine Lake is a sports fanatic who lives and breathes athletics. With an extensive background in sports journalism, he covers everything from major league championships to grassroots sports events. When she’s not on the field or at the stadium, you’ll find Christine coaching youth sports teams.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(718x387:720x389)/jin-bts-070224-87004608c3ec4830a9925ecb5c7d103d.jpg)
