Besides Track and Field, Quincy Wilson Was Set to Make History in Another Sport

Since breaking the U18 400m record and winning hearts at the Olympic Trials, Quincy Wilson has become the talk of the town. The 16-year-old who doesn’t even have a driver’s license yet, now has the right to call himself an Olympian. However, the wonder kid revealed that he had his options open if track and field success eluded him.

The sprinter, who has received praise from track legend Michael Johnson and NFL legend Deion Sanders, has opened up about playing football. The athlete was already dominating the competition in 50m, 100m, and 400m races at his local track in Severna Park. However, the world record holder had a defining “moment” when he realized just how fast he was during his football games.

“I also played football. I was usually the fastest on my team. We’d go play different teams in the area and when they would need me on third down I would get the ball. They’d be like, ‘Go get us a touchdown! Go get us a touchdown!'” Quincy Wilson told The Baltimore Sun. Just like on the track, no one could catch up to the youngster.

Besides football, another event that would showcase just how fast the prodigy ran was the 400m sprint. At local events, Wilson often finished 200m well ahead of the second-place finisher. Realizing their son’s innate talent, Monique and Roy Wilson sought out Bullis School track and field head coach Joe Lee. Lee was surprised to learn that the 5’6″ boy played a full-contact sport and ran.

However, after getting to know his pupil, the head coach soon understood that Quincy Wilson wouldn’t need football as a backup. The 16-year-old made his mark starting in his freshman year. In 2023, he defeated senior athletes at the New Balance Nationals Indoor and Penn Relays in Philadelphia. However, talent wasn’t the only driving force behind the sprinter’s success.

How Joe Lee helped Quincy Wilson hone his talent

The 16-year-old Paris-bound athlete set a new 400m U18 world record at the Holloway Pro Classic. However, the track and field star wouldn’t be achieving such mindboggling feats if it wasn’t for Joe Lee. “When I met him I said, look you got great talent… But we have to learn how to sprint from a technical perspective,” Lee said on The Kevin Sheehan Show.

The Bullis School coach helped Wilson understand that sprinting was a skill. Lee explained that the track and field phenom’s skillset “could be improved over time.” However, while Joe Lee honed his pupil’s talent, he was impressed with Quincy Wilson’s “locked in” mindset. The youngster had only one focus, and that was to improve.

Growing up, the world record holder’s speed helped him find success in both football and track and field. It’s safe to assume that he would’ve found similar success chasing down touchdowns.