Back in January, no one had thought that 17-year-old Olympic champion Quincy Wilson would bow down to Andrew Salvodon. However, the unexpected happened on January 18 when Salvodon defeated Wilson at the Virginia Showcase. Two months later, at the New Balance Nationals Indoors, Wilson had the opportunity for a payback. But beside Salvodon, one more hurdle was up there on his way.

Quincy’s health was failing him. He had the flu, and he did not train for a week ahead of the event. His asthma had worsened, and he had to put himself on inhalers. But one becomes the youngest Olympian for a reason, and it is not just performance, but a lot about attitude. And the teen had a lot of that. After the race, Quincy revealed, “I’m starting to feel; all my lungs feel terrible. I mean, like, because of flu.”

That was in the penultimate moments of the race, with a quickly closing in Salvodon on his back. But, even with failing health, Salvoson could not stand Quicy’s burst of speed in the final 50m. The clock stopped at 45.71s in a record-breaking performance, with Quincy declaring, “I’m back.” He came back again on the very next day for the 4×400 m relay and that meant another record with Quincy running 45.94s in the final leg- the best of the pack. And after all these heroics, Wilson’s coach had to drop a few words.

Coach Joe Lee’s Instagram reel felt like a steady nod to what we’ve been hoping for—he stood by Quincy, subtly pushing back on the critics who questioned him after that 46.13-second run at the USATF Indoors. “Never underestimate the heart of a CHAMPION,”  reads the one-liner punch. What’s more, the teenage sensation was spotted walking alongside Vernon Norwood, a subtle nod to the greatness he’s stepping into. 

Initially, Lee was reluctant to field Quincy, probably because of his not-so-impressive 5th place finish (46.13s) at the USA Indoor Championships and his health. “He was talking about he wasn’t putting me in the race” Quincy revealed. But determined, he pushed for it ‘I had to prove to him at practice. I said coach just please let me run I’ve been working hard for it.” Indeed, Wilson did not disappoint. So Lee once again took to his Instagram again after the 4x400m relay.

“It’s a great day to be a Bulldog 🐶 @vernon400m said it best! Proud of the Bullis track fam for handling business at @newbalancenationals! 🏆 @_quincy_wilson, @i_am_camhomer, and @sydney.sutton put in the WORK, and it showed in that 400m sweep! This isn’t luck—this is preparation, execution, and belief. The standard is the standard! 🚀” he wrote. However, all this does not mean that Quincy does not have room for improvement, and the observation came from none other than track and field legend Michael Johnson.

After the 4x400m win, Johnson took X to point out a few things about Wilson’s running technique. For context, Wilson’s low and outward arm swing has been a topic of debate lately. “Two things about unorthodox form. 1) Should it be corrected? His low and outward arm swing will cause fatigue earlier than necessary, so yes. 2) When to correct? Age, current results, and difficulty of the change all should factor. He’s young and already fast. Plenty of time!,” the 4x Olympic gold medalist wrote, explaining how it might affect him in the long run.

Wilson and his coach must be taking care of it. But it is just not the races that he has to take care of. Let’s not forget that he has yet to cross high school, and Quincy is quite serious about that front as well.

Quincy Wilson is a champion in the classroom as well

Quincy will graduate from the Bullis next year. So, alongside bringing glory to his school from track, studies, and homework consume a significant share of his time. The strain of track and field training is not hard to imagine, add to that the effort of attending school. Quincy wakes up at 5 am, gets the school bus at 6.15, and reaches school at 7.15. And make no mistake, just like average teens, he does not like waking up that early!

After finishing school 3 pm to 6 pm is practice time for Quincy. But the day does not end there. Quincy would never do away with his study time upon returning home from practice. It’s the time for him for take care of school work and maybe even prepare for tests. Are you thinking he does it out of compulsion? Think again.

“I think, I’m more focused in the classroom than I am on the track, and that can tell you a lot. My grade average is an A average throughout this semester already. All my life, I’ve had an A average, I think, so nothing has changed,” Quincy said. So where does he plan to take his talent next?

Well, that is undecided until now. But his priorities are not hard to guess. “great athletics, great academics, great teammates, great support”: that is all he will look for when choosing a college. For now, as he put it, “I’m not taking classes just like a PE. I’m taking every single class an 11th grader would and some.” As per his own admission, pre-calculus, photography, anatomy, and physiology attracts him the most. Indeed, his grit and talents are not limited to the tracks only.