Doesn’t winning mean things are going right? Apparently, not for many netizens when Quincy Wilson’s form is concerned. So much so that comments like this are doing the rounds: “Once he fix this form he will be lighting fast”. Apparently, even the 16-year-old’s Paris Olympics Gold was down to luck. The talk about form even got track and field legends to give their opinion. And now, a certain Olympic gold medalist sprinter came out and threw his weight behind the 17-year-old. So, what exactly has been said?

The latest episode of the ‘Ready Set Go’ podcast is out on March 20. It was more of a mixed-bag chat where different racers kept arising in their discussion. And among them popped up the question about Quincy Wilson’s form and where the public rightly criticized it. Well, not for co-host and 2004 Olympics Gold medalist Justin Gatlin.

Justin Gatlin discusses the importance of form in an athlete

The 43-year-old said, “I think that we always use a perfect form instead of saying efficient form.” Continuing, he explained that the form may not be the same for every athlete to get the same result. He said, “Efficient can mean something totally different and it can work for that individual how their body is structured.”

This discussion about form all ends with which form gives the best results. The Olympian co-host thinks people may have falsely accepted that the right form is the form that legendary Michael Johnson has.

Gatlin said, “When you looked at Michael Johnson he had efficient form because he got the job done in the 200 and the 400 for him. He was the world record holder for both, with that form.” But when future generations tried to adopt it, it worked for some, but it didn’t work for many, and for Gatlin, the key here is “efficient form”.

Just having an “upright, tighter arm swing and a shorter cycling pattern” isn’t the winning form for everybody.

Gatlin thinks the way Quincy runs works for him now and he should keep it. But this comes with a caveat. “Doesn’t mean that it’s (form) not going to change in the future…” Continuing, the 5-time Olympics medal winner said, “And I think as a good coach, you know what to either change immediately and what to change gradually over time”. And there’s also the argument of form being part of an athlete’s personality.

Gatlin said, “Athletes, their form is their personality. You (coach) have to be able to have them buy into the fact of how to change their form without losing their identity and losing their confidence to be able to go to that next level.”

The swagger that Quincy has when he runs and he feels free with his arms low and outward swing. Yes, legend Michael Johnson said it will cause fatigue faster. He even admitted the changes in form could be gradual. No way would you want it to be forced upon Quincy which may ruin his career: “You can’t just say ‘Hey change this and run just like this guy and then you’re going to think you’re going to get the same outcome.’ It doesn’t work like that.”

There’s a method to it. The point is when Quincy looks like he is slowing down and not setting meet records regularly. Maybe then, his coaches can start thinking about it.

But, right now, the way Quincy Wilson is performing, Justin Gatlin has a straightforward solution: “Allow him to go out, find his rhythm. He’s running the times that are superior, He’s winning races when it’s necessary and in their big moments.”

Like getting a 3-peat at the New Balance Indoors Championships, that too with competition-record time. Gatlin continued, “Allow him to revel in those moments so when it’s time for him to start changing his form, it will bypass that plateau that we see a lot of young runners get into.”

It’s all preservation and not disturbing Quincy’s flow right now. Gatlin said, “We want to see him get to that big level and stay at that big level. So, let it be. it’s coming, it’s coming.”

Maybe Quincy Wilson will never need to change his form. Who knows? The way he has been going on the 2025, wrong form is giving the right results for now.

Quincy Wilson has been doing his usual things in 2025

After the Paris Olympics Gold win in August 2024, Quincy’s first official race back on the track was in the Virginia Showcase Invitational on January 18. He started with a silver medal on the 500m short track, doing a time of 1:02.49. He got beaten by Andrew Salvodon, but come March 15, Quincy will get his revenge.

In the Virginia Showcase, however, he ran the 4×400 Meters Relay Mixed Short Track on Jan 19. The result? A Gold medal as his team finished with 3:22.94.

The season’s highlight became the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix on February 2nd. Quincy registered the high school record time in the 400 meters to win the event, clocking 45.66. Then, in the New Balance Indoors Championships on March 15, he won the 400m by setting the second-fastest school time of 45.71.

Who did he beat? Andrew Salvodon.

Fun fact – after March 15, Quincy Wilson set the top three times at the high school level for 400m distance. So, it’s tough to ask him to change his form after performances like this.

Let Quincy do Quincy Wilson things. If he ain’t slowing down, what’s the problem?