Quincy Wilson stepped under the spotlight during the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials. The track and field community had been privy to the 16-year-old phenom who seemed to break records every week. However, the entire nation watched in awe at the trials as the Bulis School athlete took on seniors and decimated age group records in the 400m event.

While Wilson fell just short of qualifying for the Paris Olympics, he earned new fans who wished to see him represent the USA in Paris. That wish came true when the 400m specialist’s coach Joe Lee said he had been selected for the 400m relay pool. In fact, it was because of Joe Lee that Wilson was at Bulis High School in the first place.

“Yeah, right… Are you joking?” Coach Joe Lee thought to himself when Wilson’s mother traveled to Potomac, Maryland to introduce herself. Quincy Wilson, lived in his home-town Chesapeake, Virginia, when his mother went to Lee. Since it takes almost four hours to drive between Potomac and Chesapeake, Lee asked the track prodigy’s mother if they decided to “hire a helicopter service for school” according to The Baltimore Sun.

However, Monique Wilson put the coach at ease, saying they planned to move to Potomac. Mrs. Wilson realized her son’s unique talent when he outran his uncle and older cousin at just five years old. Since then, the Wilsons, especially Mrs. Wilson, became invested in helping their son hone his talents. It seems Quincy Wilson’s mother’s eye for talent also extended to coaches. After just a year under the Bullis School track and field head coach, Wilson unlocked potential even he didn’t know he had.

Quincy Wilson: Born to break records

The 2024 U.S. Olympic team member made a mark at the national level when he ran 400m in 46.67s at the New Balance Nationals Indoor in April 2023. A 15-year-old running sub-47 second in 400m created quite the buzz. However, it was only the beginning of Wilson’s path to becoming a regular record breaker. About a year later in 2024, the sprinter set the indoor world record.

Within two months of turning 16, the 400m specialist clocked 45.76 seconds at the New Balance Indoor Nationals in March 2024. Quincy Wilson broke Tyrese Cooper’s 46.01-second U18 world record at the event, a record that had stood for nearly a decade. Thus began the Bullis School track and field star’s record-breaking run. On the 29th of the same month, Wilson achieved a 45.19 split at the Florida Relays.

The sprinter continued to showcase blistering form at the following Penn Relays. Then, just a week before the U.S. Olympic Trials, Wilson registered a 45.13-second 400m sprint at the New Balance Nationals Outdoor, setting a meet record. However, this was merely the prelude to what he would achieve on June 21 at the trials.

Quincy Wilson would give the seniors a run for their money at the Olympic Trials, setting a new outdoor record. The 16-year-old announced his arrival at the trials, breaking the U18 world record in the prelims with a historic 44.66s run. However, the record wouldn’t last, as Wilson would outdo himself just two days later on June 23.

At the U.S. Trials 400m semifinal, Joe Lee’s pupil broke his own record by registering 44.59 on the clock. It seemed the youngster would set a new record every time he stepped on the track. And that’s exactly what happened on July 19th at the Holloway Classic. In the final warm-up race before flying to Paris, Wilson bettered his record for a third time, running 44.20 seconds in Gainesville.

As Quincy Wilson prepares to showcase his talents at Stade de France, the sprinter wished his fellow athletes good luck ahead of the contest in an Essentially Sports Exclusive. Will he break set yet another record in Paris? Given his recent form, it may be likely.