2 min readQuincy Wilson just made an undeniable case for himself within the Team USA relay pool. On Friday night at the Holloway Pro Classic, the 16-year-old won a stacked men’s 400 meters in 44.20 seconds, breaking the under-18 world record he set weeks ago at the Olympic Trials.
Under the lights at the University of Florida in Gainesville, the rising high school junior battled some of the nation’s top pros through the homestretch, where he pulled away from runner-up Bryce Deadmon just before the finish line.
Wilson made a huge improvement on his previous personal best, 44.59—which he ran during the semifinals of the Trials in Eugene, Oregon. In the biggest meet of his young career, Wilson broke the under-18 world record twice before finishing sixth in the final at Hayward Field, all before earning his driver’s license.
Friday’s performance puts Wilson No. 6 among the world rankings so far this year. He attends the Bullis School in Potomac, Maryland, and already has an NIL deal with New Balance.
Despite missing the podium at the Olympic Trials, Wilson was named to the Team USA relay pool selections in Paris. The top three finishers at the Trials plus the next three fastest athletes are being considered to compete on the 4x400-meter relay.
“I knew when I went to the Trials, and I got sixth-place, I knew I had some stuff left in me,” Wilson told Grant Holloway on Friday’s American Track League broadcast. “I told them I was going to go out here and give everything that I had because I want to make sure that I have a great opportunity to be able to get on the USA team on the relay, so I wanted to go out here and show what I can do.”
Wilson said he leaves on Tuesday for Paris. The first round of the mixed gender 4x400 relay is August 2, and the men’s 4x400 relay begins on August 9. As a member of the relay pool, Wilson is the youngest male athlete to ever be named on the U.S. Olympic track and field team.
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.
