Quincy Wilson’s Olympic dream didn’t come easy but man, did he make a statement. Following an exceptional showing at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in June, the then 16-year-old athlete used Instagram to declare his invitation to the USA 4×400-meter relay team. But this dream was as hard as it gets. However, despite winning gold at the event, Wilson has something else to say to the USATF as well as a few complaints of his own.

During the trials at age 16, Wilson achieved the fastest 400-meter semifinal time by anyone younger than 18 with 44.59 seconds. He placed sixth by running 44.94 seconds in the finals. Meanwhile, Chris Bailey took home sixth place with a faster time of 0.52 seconds. So was that the end of Wilson’s Olympic run? Nah, not even a little. A short while later, he received the fantastic news that he would join the 4×400 relay squad representing the United States.

But even after proving himself on the track, not everyone was convinced. When he was announced as part of the relay team, the critics came in hot. “Oh, he’s young. He’s inexperienced,” they said. Then, when his opening leg on Friday was listed at 47.27, more criticisms came. But Wilson didn’t want to get into why he wasn’t at 100% that day.

However, one thing’s for sure—people don’t always see what happens behind the scenes. Now, he finally has the perfect stage to set the record straight—on the podcast Beyond the Records. Sitting down with Grant Holloway and Rai Benjamin, Quincy didn’t hold back. He revealed everything. Quincy Wilson may not have been selected for the U.S. mixed 4x400m relay team at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

However, his journey took a dramatic turn behind the scenes. His mother, Monique Wilson, shared on social media that a coach informed Quincy he wouldn’t be running in the mixed relay. This forced him to adjust his training at the last minute. Wilson did throw some shade on USATF by revealing the lack of communication and uncertainty surrounding his status on the mixed 4x400m relay team

Quincy Wilson unveiled the real backstage story that portrayed the hidden truth of USATF. “I was feeling really good but my training changed because I didn’t know if I was going to be on the mixed relay or not. So I didn’t know what to prepare for. Then, the next day, when I found out I wasn’t on the team, I had to change everything up. I was on the curve, running a 200, and I felt something real quick.”

He discovered the “something” to be more dangerous than he initially anticipated it would be. Shortly after his selection to the U.S. track and field team for the Paris relay events, Wilson sustained a harmful hamstring injury that derailed his Olympic readiness. “At first I thought, Nah, I’m gonna be straight but then I took the next step, and my whole hamstring grabbed up. The pain was unreal. I tried to smile it off but man, it hurt so bad.”

The road to Paris became more challenging after his unexpected setback failed to end his Olympic dream.

Quincy Wilson’s gold medal moment

Despite the pain, Quincy Wilson pushed through, determined to get the job done. “I felt like my leg had just collapsed. It hurt so bad. But it wasn’t just about me—it was about the team. Everybody was running that day, and they knew I was in pain, but we had to make it happen. I got the baton around, and I was getting treatment every day.”

A hamstring injury restricted his speed, which led to a 47.27-second finish in the first race even though he demonstrated solid performance despite his injury. At that point, did he secure victory during the relay? While Team USA did win, Quincy himself wasn’t there to mesmerize the audience. While he secured a gold for himself since he was part of the squad, he had to sit in the finals.

Though he didn’t run in the final, his performance in the heats played a crucial role in securing Team USA’s spot in the championship race. Wilson helped push the team through the first round, where they finished third, earning a place in the final. From there, Olympic 400m hurdles champion Rai Benjamin anchored the squad to victory, securing Wilson his first Olympic gold at just 16 years old.

After the Olympics, Wilson took a well-deserved break, but he didn’t stay away for long. He made a thunderous comeback at the US Marine Corps Holiday Classic in New York. In his return, he stormed to victory in the 600 m with a blistering 1:17.19. That performance cemented him as the second-fastest U.S. high school boy ever over that distance, trailing only Will Sumner, who ran 1:15.58 in 2022.

Wilson is already sitting at No. 2 on the all-time high school list with his previous best of 1:17.36. This latest feat further solidifies his place as one of the most electrifying young talents in track and field. But with track and field just starting, Wilson still has more to accomplish. With the World Athletics Championship fast approaching, Wilson might be looking forward to it.