Quincy Wilson has been at the top of the track and field world since last year. After all, how often do we see a 16-year-old competing at the Olympics? Not to mention win it too. But while 2024 was monumental for the sprinter, with him breaking the U18 400m world record thrice, 2025 has not been so good to him. Having already suffered two back-to-back losses this season, he has something to say to both his fans and detractors.

While we all know Wilson was lauded as the next big thing, 2025 has been anything but a bed of roses. In what seems like a wake-up call, he lost both at the Virginia Showcase as well as in the Millrose Games on the 8th.In the most recent matchup, Quincy Wilson took up the 600-meter challenge at the 2025 Millrose Games.

While Wilson was pretty confident about his chances, his fans too were expecting yet another world-record-breaking performance from the 17-year-old. Unfortunately, after the race concluded, Wilson and his fans were humbled. With a blistering speed of 1:14.04, Will Sumner claimed the top spot, offering a significant challenge to Wilson. He clocked 1:16.20 to take the fourth position. But this just wasn’t enough.

And this was not the only heartbreak that Wilson had this year. Back in January, the 17-year-old participated in the VA Showcase. But just like the Millrose games, fans here too expected Wilson to break the 500-meter national high school record. Yet it was another 17-year-old, Andrew Salvodon, who decided to play the hero this time. Running a blitzkrieg timing of 1:00.49, Salvodon clinched the top spot, with Wilson coming in at second position with a time of 1:02.49. 

While these defeats indeed have rattled Wilson, he is not running away from them. Using them as a learning curve, he now knows what he needs to watch out for next. Shedding light on his losses, Wilson had some words of wisdom to share on the recent episode of the Beyond The Records podcast. Speaking with Noah Lyles, Wilson mentioned that he feels that something big is coming soon for him. 

He further mentioned that the lessons that he learned from the losses will only help him grow in the future. “I feel like the loss wasn’t it. I feel like the lessons that I learned was what I needed. And I think needed the lessons because you need lessons in life,” said Wilson. The 17-year-old also stated that life is not always about the highs.

And it is at these moments that one needs to keep the composure. Wilson said, “It’s not how life works. You’re not always going to go out there and have sunshine and rainbow. That’s not how it works. You’re going to have those days where it’s down. I feel like that’s where it was, and I probably won’t be as hungry as I will for the rest of the year if I didn’t have it last year.”

Wilson also further revealed that he lost two races at the time when he started his career. Meanwhile, after witnessing a slight downfall of Wilson, American track and field legend Justin Gatlin made his two cents heard recently. 

Justin Gatlin gives his take on the Quincy Wilson situation 

In the January 29, 2025 episode of the Tidal League podcast, Rodney Green and Justin Gatlin discussed Wilson’s recent performance. The 5-time Olympic champions stated, “Do I think Quincy will rebound from this? Yes, I do. I do think he’ll rebound from this. But I think it’s a wake-up call to let him know that, ‘You ain’t going to cruise through these high school ranks no more.”

He further mentions what being the number one means. He says, “You got a target on your back, homeboy.’ I think he knows [that]. Him and his coach and his team… they’ll definitely be ready for what’s next.” However, Gatlin also mentioned how he had faith in Quincy Wilson and his training regime. Gatlin believes that such losses are part and parcel of the game.

He also believed that Wilson’s training regime was a unique one and that his coach would be doing an extensive analysis of his recent losses. Meanwhile, there was one thing that Gatlin was concerned about. The fact that Wilson has to continuously switch between competing in the professional realm in addition to high school can be a bit hectic for him.

He further highlights the immense stress that Quincy has to deal with juggling his school and pro career. Gatlin remarked, “And you realize, at the end of the day, he has a schedule that is really, really unique, because he’s walking that line between elite high school athlete, and he’s also tangling with professional athletes.” But this is as true as it gets, because at one moment Quincy is studying, and the next moment he has to face national and world champions. 

Gatling continues by saying, “So he has to go and compete at two levels basically, almost simultaneously… That’s the only thing I’m concerned about.” Thus, with significant noise surrounding Quincy Wilson at the moment, it now remains to be seen how things pan out for him in the coming days. But one thing is for sure: Quincy will rise to the occasion just like he has done so many times before.