Quincy Wilson has been all over the news in the last few months. To be fair, Wilson is one of the fastest 400m sprinters. So much so that he was one of the youngest athletes to compete as part of Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Wilson went on to finish sixth, clocking 44.94 in the 400m U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon. And that was his ticket to Paris!

In Paris, he went on to create history. Team USA, of which Wilson was a part, went on to win gold in the 4x400m relay. In other words, a 16-year-old junior from Maryland’s Bullis School went on to win gold! It is, of course, true that track is in his blood. His sister, Kadence Wilson, is also a track star. But that’s not all it takes for an Olympic gold! Here’s the thing: Quincy Wilson has been dreaming of wearing the Olympic crown after he held the Junior Olympics crown ever since he was 9 years old. However, he now has a few new sprinters who have joined him in sharing the glory!

Quincy Wilson no longer stands alone!

Let’s go back in time first to 2017, when Wilson was just nine years old. It was the same year he was at the AAU Junior Olympics. Quincy ran the 400m races that year, and boy-oh-boy was it a spectacle! He went on to clock 1:02.66 in the finals and win this first Olympics! But that was just the beginning of a series of five titles. He has consecutively won titles since 2017 until the pandemic broke his streak. While Wilson was 10 years old, there is now a new champion in the arena who has done something similar despite just being nine!

The 2024 AAU Junior Olympics have a new champion. And it is the nine-year-old Myla Johnson. Myla, however, isn’t doing it alone. She is doing well with her ever-so-supportive mom, Nicole Cooper, and her coach, Daniel Martin. However, being so young and winning is no easy task. As Myla herself puts it, “It was very stressful at first; my mom and I had talks about trying your best and having fun; I went through that talk again; my last jumps were good, and that made me bump up to the first place; I knew I could do it.” Of course, Myla came prepared. She has been training for almost 3 years now!

That’s right, Myla’s journey began when she was six years old. While her speed and love for track help, it’s the mother-daughter dynamics that oil the wheels. Even Myla’s coach sees it. So much so that Coach Martin went on to call it “a sort of togetherness.” Now that’s the kind of love for a track that got Quincy winning at New Balance Nationals Indoor and breaking 20-year-old records! Myla is, however, not the only future Olympian joining alongside Quincy Wilson.

McKenzie Robichaux and Leeah Combest also join the champions!

While Quincy Wilson may have won five titles by the time he was 14, there is McKenzie Robichaux and Leeah Combest to give that record a little nudge! So, who exactly is McKenzie Robichaux? She is a seven-year-old track star from Memphis, Tennessee. And she just took the AAU Junior Olympics by surprise! McKenzie went on to compete in two long-distance races this year.

McKenzie went on to run the 1500m and 800m. She went on to win gold in both during the district qualifiers. And then went on to win bronze in the regionals. For someone who only just started racing after a few fun family races, her speed is something to note. And that is also what McKenzie’s dad, Dante, also noticed! McKenzie’s speed caught everyone’s attention, and the family quickly signed her up for track in the spring.

While she didn’t win at first in spring, McKenzie didn’t let that stop her. Any guesses on who her inspiration is? It is none other than the ever-so-inspiring Sha’Carri Richardson. McKenzie, much like Richardson’s mindset, went on to say, “If I keep pushing, then I can finish faster.” Guess that’s exactly what she did during her races. But McKenzie is not the only threat to Wilson’s wins!

There is also Leeah Combest. Leeah is a 12-year-old girl competing in the pentathlon at the AAU Junior Olympics. She had one of the most exciting races this season. Until the very last moment, the race was anybody’s game. But in the final 20m of the 200m finals, she caught up and clocked 2:27.92. Thus winning the gold! While Quincy Wilson has reigned supreme at the AUU Olympics, watch out because the prodigies just got stronger and better!