Quincy Wilson made history by becoming the youngest American male track and field athlete to win Olympic gold at 16. However, despite the stellar end to his debut Olympic campaign, the Bullis School sprinter had a rough start. The bright stadium lights, a massive crowd, and the pressure of competing on the grandest stage resulted in an uncharacteristically slow start.

While Team USA made it through the heat, finishing in third place, Wilson was absent from the finals. Instead, Letsile Tebogo once again nearly proved himself to be a giant killer against Rai Benjamin in the 4x400m finals closing leg. However, Justin Gatlin and Rodney Green believe Wilson could be the trump card against a surging Botswana team in LA 2028.

“They’re all under their 21, 22, 23,” Justin Gatlin said about the Botswana relay team. However, they agreed that Team USA may not give up the 4×400 relay crown in LA. “I know the USA is a world record team because they ran that time (Olympic record) without Quincy,” Green said during the Ready Set Go podcast. They had good reason to be so confident of Quincy Wilson.

Many of the global track and field fans’ first impression of Wilson may have been the delayed start. However, the 16-year-old hadn’t run as slow as 47.27s for over a year. In fact, the 16-year-old phenom is the dominant sprinter across 400m, holding every age group world record in the event at the U18 level. Gatlin and Green agree that in four years, Wilson will become even better.

“So You know with Quincy on there, if he has the kind of year that he had this year, there’s no question that world record is gone,” said Rodney Green. To put things into perspective, just weeks before the Paris Olympics Wilson broke his own U18 world record at the Holloway Pro Classic in Gainsville. The Bullis High athlete clocked 44.20s, defeating two-time Olympic relay gold medalist Bryce Deadmon.

Meanwhile, Team USA holds the current world record at 2:54.29s. Although the Paris Olympics relay team came close to besting that record, they fell just short at 2:54.43s. However, it was the 21-year-old Tebogo-led Botswana team that nearly toppled Team USA. The African team clocked 2:54.53s, just 00:00.10s behind the Olympic record. This is why Tebogo will be Quincy Wilson’s biggest challenge.

Why Letsile Tebogo is the man to beat for Quincy Wilson

While the 200m Olympic gold medalist may have been an underdog going in Paris, his upset win over Noah Lyles, propelled him to instant stardom. However, the Botswanan has the talent to back up the fame. After winning Olympic gold and silver at 21, Letisle Tebogo made a statement at the Rome Diamond League. While Noah Lyles may be the 100m world and Olympic Champion, the message was clear.

Tebogo is coming for Lyles 200m and 100m crown at the 2025 World Championships. However, the Olympic gold medalist has proven himself to be incredibly versatile. despite his recent bid at 100m, Tebogo shines in the 200m individual and 400m relay events. At just 21, the Botswanan champion will be in his prime during LA 2028. So Quincy Wilson must make his mark at the senior level.

The U18 400m world record holder must improve in the face of the challenge from a young Team Botswana. Otherwise, Team USA could lose its bid for a sixth-straight 4x400m Olympic title on home ground. How do you think Wilson and Tebogo’s rivalry in the 400m relay will shape up? Let us know in the comments.