After a successful summer, Quincy Wilson is now looking forward to entering his college years. In his tour, the Olympian was spotted in the backyards of Texas A&M and Georgia in the last few weeks. A few more names may be added to the list in the upcoming days. However, a steady decision has yet to come by. But the pictures indicate that the 16-year-old athlete is raring to enter the avenues of the NCAA before landing a professional deal. However, while Wilson is taking time to make his path into the league of senior athletes, one of his competitors is hitting big—credit goes to the professional deal. 

On October 28, Chris Chavez, the founder of Citius Mag, posted about Gout Gout’s signing into a professional deal. The update shows that the 16-year-old Australian athlete has inked a contract with Adidas. Despite having no Olympic medal like Quincy Wilson, Gout earned the professional tag much earlier, compared to the former. So did the brand make a hurried decision by choosing someone who has yet to fill in the big shoes? No, maybe not. 

This summer panned out to be special for both Quincy Wilson and Gout Gout. While Wilson continued to uproot the age-group records in the 400m, the Australian wunderkind concentrated on the shorter events—100m and 200m. Among those, the 200m event stood to be a sweeter spot for Gout. A few examples would do well to justify his upper hand in the 200m sprint. 

This summer, the Queenslander secured the title of the second-fastest Australian in the 200m sprint league. Only Calab Law has had better timings than him in the Australian circuit (20.54 seconds). Did we mention Law’s age? He is 20 and has already made big into the platforms like Pacific Games. And that’s not all about Gout’s milestone! 

With scintillating timings in the rounds, Gout made his position in the men’s 200m final at the World Athletics U20 Championships. The surrounding expectations had reached sky-high, counting him as the potential winner. Yet, on the last border, he slid slightly, losing the gold medal by fractions of a second. His timing, however, sent shockwaves across the track and field community. 

Gout finished the 200-meter final in 20.60 seconds, good enough for second place in the stacked event. It is his personal best timing in the event. Additionally, the timing is only 0.01 seconds faster than Usain Bolt’s timing at the 2002 Junior World Championships. That performance earned widespread recognition for Gout. 

In the meantime, some branded him as the “Next Usain Bolt.” But the soft-spoken athlete kept himself far away from such high tags. Rather, he mentioned, “If I can get to the level he [Usain Bolt] was, that would be a great achievement.” In the meantime, his latest achievement shows that the teenager is stepping toward some distinct milestones in track and field sports. In the middle of this, Quincy Wilson has yet to decide his next move. Nonetheless, some veterans have suggested a route for him. 

Quincy Wilson can “beat the odds” and make a name for himself 

After the US Olympic track and field trials, lots of discussion brewed on Quincy Wilson’s selection over Christian Miller. The Creekside High School alumni had claimed 9.93 seconds in the 100m event in April. That timing stood as the world-leading for a few weeks, at the senior level. Furthermore, he ran 10.22, 9.94, and 9.98 seconds at the Olympic trials while competing with the big names.

Yet, his efforts fell short, and he didn’t cut into either the individual event or the relay event. However, the debate entered when Wilson made it into the 4x400m men’s relay‌ team, keeping Miller at bay. The critics argued that Quincy had earned his chance, despite having less flair in his performances. Well, Miller didn’t leave the field after his heartbreak. 

In July this year, Christian Miller announced to turn pro, dismissing Georgia Bulldogs’ offer. A brave attempt or a time-tested approach? As per Justin Gatlin and Rodney Green, it was a mindful approach and Quincy Wilson should follow the same route. In the podcast Ready Set Go, Green said, “It’s gonna be really different for somebody like Quincy if he was to turn pro this early… from being first all the time to being in the mix.” But wouldn’t this throw him up in front of bigger challenges? However, according to Rodney, Quincy Wilson has been “the man ” for years. So the world of the pro deal may not be a challenge for him. Now, the rest is on Quincy.