“I Broke It Twice”: Quincy Wilson On Breaking 42-Year-Old U-18 400m Record At US Paris Olympics Trials 2024

Quincy Wilson is blistering into history books, and how! The Bullis School sophomore is setting the tracks on fire at the US Olympic Track and Field Team Trials, and not just once. On the opening day of the USAT event in Eugene, the 16-year-old gave hints as to what he’s able to execute as he ran a break-neck 44.66 in the men’s 400m 1st Round to advance to the next round. Not only was the time his personal best in the event so far, but he also broke the U18 world record of Darrell Robison set in 1982. And he’s done it again only moments ago!

In the men’s 400m semi-final, Quincy broke his own record to register a jaw-dropping 44.59-second finish to qualify for the final race scheduled for tomorrow. In a post-match interview, streamed via Peacock, Wilson was spotted sporting a big grin on his face, and a few things to say about his emphatic victory.

“I’ve been working for this moment, the record I broke two days ago, that was there for 42 years,” said Quincy, before sharing his glee over the matter. “I broke it twice in two days!” the teenager could hardly resist boasting, and we don’t mind. The sprinter also seemed happy about the fact that all his hard work was showing results and was giving him the attention of the community that he deserved. “I’m just excited for myself,” noted the star as he said how hard things are considering his age compared to his competitors.

However, for anyone who’s been following his journey, his latest feat might not come as a shocker.

Quincy Wilson pushing boundaries with ease

The young Turk broke the 400m world record in April at the New Balance Indoor Nationals with a 46.67-seconds finish. His thrilling performances awed even his coach Joe Lee, who stated “Most kids are afraid to push through unknown barriers. He doesn’t even have barriers,” about his student’s elite mentality on the tracks. Quincy’s stellar accolades also got the attention of the reigning men’s 100m world champ Noah Lyles as the latter took to social media to iterate how he thinks a bright future awaits the high-schooler, while Olympic veteran Justin Gatling also seemed to think Quincy would hand him a sound defeat.

In early April, Wilson was also able to show his mettle in the 800m race as he went sub-1:50 at the Beach Run Invitational. “You never know what I can do,” Wilson was heard saying last year, and it seems like he’s determined to back up his words with resolute performances.

Now, as all eyes turn to the finals of the men’s 400m at the Olympic team Trials, it remains to be seen if Quincy can maintain his momentum to punch his tickets to his first-ever Olympic Games in Paris.