“I’m the youngest US male track athlete to receive a gold medal at the Olympics!” Quincy Wilson had a fairytale Olympics debut. But much to his dismay, that soon turned into a nightmare. A slow start nearly cost him and Team USA a chance in the 4x400m relay. But he gives credit for pulling themselves through to the experienced sprinters on his team. They got through to the finals. But the sprinter couldn’t hide his disappointment, and didn’t run during the finals on the purple track.

However, speaking to CITIUS Mag, his compatriot Vernon Norwood opened up about what that experience was like for the wunderkind. It’s no surprise that after the heats, the 16-year-old wasn’t too pleased with himself. But the 32-year-old came in clutch when he needed some sound advice the most. “Don’t even worry about that stuff. You’re about to walk away with an Olympic gold medal at 16 years old.” Surely enough, the teenage prodigy achieved the impossible, with Norwood right by his side.

One of the most poignant highlights after the heats was the compatriots sharing a moment on the track. The Olympian was asked what he told Wilson. Without missing a beat, “I told him after the race like ‘You did your job like it’s not about times, it’s not about place. Like this is a relay, it’s not no sole individual have to do one job, we all have to do a job. And you did your job, I did mines, Bryce did his, and Christy his. So we all did our job to qualify for the next round.'” If that isn’t reassuring, we’re not sure what would help. 

But the 32-year-old didn’t just stop there. “I told [Quincy Wilson], don’t worry about this. I’m going to get you a gold medal. I promise you.” Apart from making quite a bold claim, the sprinter believes this was exactly what the wunderkind needed. “So you gotta remember this, feel out this, and understand this only gonna get better because now you see how an international competition is.” Despite the disappointment, Wilson has a taste of what contesting on the world’s biggest stage is like. It wouldn’t be as easy to let that hunger go now.

Quincy Wilson’s take on his historic debut

Quincy Wilson made his Olympic debut at just 16 years old. The teenage prodigy had already turned heads with his stellar 6th-place finish in 44.94 seconds. It wasn’t certain if he would make it to the French capital. But against all odds, he made his way onto the purple tracks on August 9. Starting the 4x400m relay for USA, his slow start left him behind. However, they secured a 3rd-place finish with 2:59:15 on the clock. 

In his post-race interview with ESPN, the wunderkind didn’t mince his words. He stated how he knew he had 3 great sprinters backing him up. “By myself, we would be in last place,” he said. He believes they made it through solely because of the rest of the team. But it doesn’t look like his compatriot agrees with him. If you thought this was the last you’ll of the young wunderkind, then prepared to be stunned again. Do you agree with Vernon Norwood?