Nobody may have expected to see such turns of events! On January 17, Quincy Wilson entered the VA Showcase 2025. After his fireworks in the Paris Olympics last year, the men’s 500m race at the VA Showcase was scheduled to be his season opener this year. So expectations were high, but things didn’t fall into place for the 17-year-old. Quincy was handed a thumping defeat in the men’s 500m race. Meanwhile, Andrew Salvodon claimed the glory in the event. He took 1:00.49 minutes to cross the finishing line and set the US high school national record.

In the meantime, Quincy saw his opponent taking away the limelight he had been habituated to attaining in the events. He had to bounce back. But how? On this matter, Rodney Green has something to share. The former Bahamian athlete has been monitoring Quincy Wilson throughout the years. He seems to know the exact pressure points of the athlete and his comeback process as well. This knowledge aided in sharing a few notes on the Bullis High School attendee’s prospects.

On February 6, Justin Gatlin shared a clip on Instagram from his podcast, ‘Ready Set Go.’ There, in the podcast, Green said, “I’m worried about how he [Quincy Wilson] will bounce back from the losses that he take and he took that L, obviously was a wake-up call for him.” And how did Quincy take lessons from that ‘L’ (loss) and bounce back? Any guesses? Yes, his superb performance in the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix four days ago may portray the bright picture. 

On February 2, the Olympian shaved a few fractions of a second off from his high school record to set a new one (45.66). The time sets a US high school record (men’s 400m) and a new U18 world indoor record. Quincy hit two bingos with only one shot! After the 500m heartbreak on January 18, he took a fortnight only to turn the table. This kind of bravery impressed Rodney Green. 

In the podcast, the 39-year-old claimed a few more interesting things. He eventually said, “He [Quincy Wilson] said he went back to the trainer and trained harder, came to New Balance, and he showed his whole tale.” Something new from a track wunderkind! 

But for Justin Gatlin, things were not so unexpected! He had hopes in Quincy to see him perform better. Shedding light on that, the former Olympic champion claimed, “That one loss was not going to define him. At the end of the day, he came back to prove, ‘I am Quincy Wilson. You understand I’m gonna go to these high school meets. It’s gonna be whatever I gotta get done. But when I jump in these professional races, I’m coming with that heat too,’ and he did the way he ran.” Gatlin had a special adjective to explain Quincy’s race, and it was ‘vet like.’ According to Justin, Quincy had the exact knowledge of his opponents: his position in the 400m event in the NB Grand Prix. Meanwhile, his ‘vet-like’ performance earned him the upper hand over them. But is Quincy’s test over? 

No, this coming Saturday, Wilson will enter the men’s 600m field in the 117th Millrose Games in New York. He will have to counter names like Will Sumner (the HS record holder in the event) and Olympian Brandon Miller. How should Wilson plan to thwart the challenges from those names? Again, Justin Gatlin appeared in the corner. 

Justin Gatlin has some lessons ready for Quincy Wilson 

Call it the NCAA curse or the heartbreak! But Quincy Wilson’s loss last month came out of the blue. The Olympian, possessing a unique ability to excel in the 400, 500, and 600 m races, faced an unfortunate result. So, heartbreak was bound to happen. But Justin Gatlin wasn’t ready to call the defeat the final result. 

On January 29, the former world champion explained his take on Quincy Wilson’s result in the VA Showcase event. In his podcast, Gatlin said, “Do I feel like Quincy’s in any kind of danger? No. This is what track and field is about. You’re going to win some, you’re going to lose some.” And according to him, Quincy’s loss followed that law only. But this law in no way defined him!

Specifying that part of his comment, Gatlin conceded, “….At the end of the day, it was a 500-meter [race], probably early in his season when he was getting ready. 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. So he has to go and compete at two levels basically, almost simultaneously…That’s the only thing I’m concerned about.” Nonetheless, the concern might not fuel as Gatlin banked on Quincy and his coach’s planning to keep things on the plate. After the NB Grand Prix, the Millrose Games will be another test for that duo.