“My lungs feel terrible.” That was the first thing Quincy Wilson said after crossing the finish line—because, well, they did. The 17-year-old didn’t step onto the track at New Balance Nationals feeling like a record-breaker. His muscles ached, his lungs burned, and if you’d asked him that morning, he might’ve told you he was just hoping to survive the race. But champions don’t wait for perfect conditions—they make history anyway. So, what did he do?

Well, Wilson wasn’t even supposed to race at New Balance Nationals. His coach didn’t think he was ready, and Wilson had to practically beg for his spot. “Last week, I promise you, Coach Joe was talking about how he wasn’t putting me in the race,” Wilson said. “I had to prove him wrong at practice. I said, ‘Coach, just please let me run—I’ve been working hard for it.’” The coach had to accede to the track star’s unrelenting drive and what followed yet again proved the teenager doesn’t play around.

On March 15, Quincy Wilson lined up for the 400m final and, despite everything, blazed to a 45.71-second finish, breaking his own national high school indoor record. Oh, and he made sure to take down rival Andrew Salvodon while he was at it. But here’s the wild part—he did it all while battling the flu.

A week earlier, he was sick, missed practice, and wasn’t exactly in peak condition. But that didn’t stop him. The very next day, March 16, he was back, this time, anchoring Bullis High School’s 4x400m relay. He delivered a similar performance to his previous achievement. Wilson ran an exceptional 45.94-second segment which enabled his team to break the national record by finishing in 3:09.44.

“I had the flu last week and honestly came out here with no practice,” Wilson admitted. “I just wanted to run and I knew God would get me around this track. That’s what I did and I’m blessed I was able to come out here.” Love him or hate him, this Virginia native surely does have a way with comebacks! You are bound to appreciate him all the more when you learn flu wasn’t the only thing the track prodigy was grappling with.

Quincy Wilson battles asthma and still breaks records

Quincy Wilson didn’t just show up at New Balance Nationals—he powered through every obstacle in his way. And there were plenty. After the race, he opened up to CitiusMag about what he had to push through just to get there. “I was sick and was dealing with some bad asthma, and it took me a long time to get back. I’ve been using my inhaler and doing everything I could to make sure I was right,” he admitted. But when the gun went off, none of that mattered.

 He ran, he dominated, and he broke records—again. Just like that, another win on his already stacked list of accomplishments. His coach, Joe Lee, made sure the world knew just how special this moment was. He hit social media with a highlight reel of Quincy’s biggest Nationals moments, including a clip of him walking the track with elite sprinter Vernon Norwood—a subtle way of saying, Yeah, this kid belongs among the greats. The caption?

“Never underestimate the heart of a CHAMPION‼️” And really, how could you? At just 17, Quincy Wilson isn’t just winning races—he’s redefining them. But this wasn’t just about Nationals. He’s already proven his greatness on the biggest stage, bringing home Olympic gold from Paris and showing the world he’s built for history.