Quincy Wilson’s Paris Olympics Bid ‘Unlikely’ by Track and Field World Despite Stellar Back-to-Back Performances

The American track and field realm has been witnessing the emergence of a new phenom, Quincy Wilson. Currently, in his sophomore year, Wilson has already created significant ripples in the NCAA community. In fact, starting his training at 8, Wilson became an Olympian at the 2017 AAU Junior Olympics when he was merely a 9-year-old child. Competing in the 400m finals, Wilson clocked a time of 1:02:66 to rake up the top position. 

But Wilson proved that he is not a one-season wonder. By the time he was 14 years old, Wilson had clinched his fifth AAU Junior Olympics by running 400m in 47.77s. And the accolades did not stop coming ever since. In 2023, Wilson grabbed the top spot at the New Balance Nationals Indoor, and also impressed at the Penn Relays by running a 45.06s split. And now, after a thunderous start to 2024, Quincy Wilson is dreaming big. Not only does he look to continue his fine run, Wilson is also aiming for a Paris Olympics berth. 

Quincy Wilson: The Teen Titan

Hailing from Maryland, Quincy Wilson has taken the athletics world by storm in 2024. He has been raking up record after record to present himself as a strong contender for Paris. Running at the 2024 New Balance Indoors, the 16-year-old established the U-18 400m world record with a 45.76s time.

While his indoor records looked daunting, Wilson proved his worth in gold outdoors as well. Fans went into a frenzy as he made an impressive time of 45.19s in Florida. And his shenanigans soon had the attention of Olympic legends. Speaking about Wilson’s incredible achievements, 5x Olympic medalist Justin Gatlin gave the teenagers his flowers.

He said, “I feel like we haven’t had this much excitement behind a young 400-meter runner since, well, at least in America, since LaShawn (Merritt), right?” And now, with his timings earning Wilson a call-up at the Olympic trials, the teenager is literally moments away from living his dreams. However, a look at what the fans are suggesting would present an entirely different scenario altogether. 

Track and field fandom doubtful about Wilson’s Olympics debut

Recently, a Reddit post went viral speculating about the possibility of Quincy Wilson making it to Paris. The post was captioned, “Does Quincy have a realistic chance at qualifying for Paris?” It instantly garnered traction and people started to chime in with their skeptic theories. 

One fan commented, “We’ll see what he peaks at come US Trials. He’ll have to run sub 45 & possibly low 44 to maybe even get a chance on the team for the individuals. I could see him maybe get a spot for the relays if anything.”

Another user stated that Wilson would have easily qualified had he been from a different country. The comment read, “If he was from literally any other country it wouldn’t be a question. But the US is stacked so probably not.”

A third user pointed out that 400m talents like Michael Norman would probably edge ahead of Wilson, saying, “Michael Norman just ran 44.21 today. So it looks like good 400m runners are back. I highly doubt Quincy will make Paris, though I expect Quincy to at least survive one round at USATF’s.”

Another user echoed similar sentiments doubting Wilson’s chances. The comment read, “It’s unlikely imo, need to be in mid 44s to get through for the US more than likely, If the trials finals aren’t in the mid 44s the US will probably get slaughtered.”

This user was caught in two minds saying, “I’d say his chances are pretty low. But they’re realistically above zero, as in if he makes it, we’d all be fairly surprised, but not shocked.“

Thus, with speculations doing the rounds, the fate of Quincy Wilson’s Olympic dreams rests on none other than himself. Will he be able to capitalize will be an enthralling chapter for the future to unravel?