As a rising senior, Alex Jackson, also called “Apple Jacks,” steals the show every time he enters the shot-put circle, making him the MVP of BZ. At 6’5″ and 285 pounds, Jackson is an exceptional athlete. Assistant track coach Jay Smith, who oversees throwing, said, “Athletes like this don’t come along in every generation.”
“Everyone in his immediate vicinity, including the other teams, knows he is going to come here and win. Everybody is vying for second place.” Jackson O’ Brien was quoted as saying.
Taking the track and field by storm
Jackson’s track and field career began as a freshman, laying the groundwork for a bright future in sports.
“The best advice I’ve ever received was from some instructors who said that I should take up track because they thought I’d be good at it. My life has been altered by it,” Jackson stated.
Jackson has performed admirably since his freshman year and has been named an All-American every year through his junior year.
He had shattered school records that had been unbroken for more than 50 years and achieved state marks in track and field by the end of his junior year. Jackson now competes for the Peabody Tanners in every throwing event, including the shot-put, discus, javelin, and hammer throw.
Assuming a leadership role off the pitch
Jackson is now unquestionably one of the best shot-putters in the nation after to his incredible performance at the Nike Indoor Nationals, which included a fantastic fifth-place result.
Jackson, who leads his squad as captain, made a triumphant comeback to the main arena at the New Balance Nationals Outdoor in Philadelphia in June. He competed in three events and placed outside the top five in each, but he is motivated to reach new heights with his senior year campaign and is using this setback as fuel.
He aims to represent America in the Olympics one day.
The track world was taken aback by the unexpected arrival of Quincy Wilson, a 16-year-old athlete, a few months before the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Wilson, who is a sophomore, broke the 400m US High School record at the New Balance Nationals Indoor Track & Field Championships.
He had successfully beaten the previous record set by Elzie Coleman in 2004, and his achievement had garnered the attention of American sprinter superstar Noah Lyles. With a record of 45.76 seconds, Wilson easily defeated his competitors, who can even break 46 seconds.
Quincy Wilson dreams of breaking records
In a post-race interview, Quincy Wilson declared: “I’ve been dreaming about this. I’ve been watching all the races go but the 45, when the record was broken, I wasn’t even alive. I wasn’t even thought of. So, I came out here, and I was able to get my best race and 45.7 means a lot to me.”
At the beginning of 2023, Quincy Wilson signed an NIL contract with New Balance and it paid off with his most recent achievement. He also won last year’s New Balance Indoor Championships with a record of 46.67 seconds, which led him to the deal.
Early in 2024, Wilson also moved up to the 2nd spot in the US all-time performances list at the VA Showcase. He defeated his rivals in the 500m boy’s invitational but fell short of the record time by only 0.02 seconds. More so, he was also the US No. 22 high school performer in the 600m event at the 116th Millrose Games, clocked at 1:17.36.
Wilson hopes to compete in the Olympics as soon as possible, being one of the youngest with a NIL contract.
Shericka Jackson has made a big jump in the rankings since she switched to shorter sprints in the last couple of years, going from 22nd in the rankings to 2nd.
This accomplishment may come as a surprise to those who haven’t been following Jackson’s meteoric rise in recent years, but those who are familiar with her story know that she has always been a rising star in her own right, and it was only a slight shift in her trajectory that propelled her career forward.
A 400-meter career
Jackson’s track and field career began much earlier than most of her contemporary foes, but back then, Jackson’s speciality was the 400-meter sprint. As early as 2008, Jackson competed in the 2008 CARIFTA Games, where she achieved gold medals in both the 400-meter and the 4×400-meter relay. In the following year, Jackson joined the same competition again and snagged four gold medals, this time in the 200 meter, 400 meter, 4×100 meter, and 4×400 meter events.
No one knew then that this would be the beginning of a successful career for the Jamaican sprinter.
In the years that came, Jackson eventually grew to be a respectable 400-meter sprinter among her peers. In 2016, she made her Olympic debut in Rio de Janeiro, where she achieved bronze and silver medals in the 400 meters and 4×400 meters, respectively.
Her other notable accomplishments include another bronze medal at the 2015 World Championships and a personal best of 49.47 at the 2019 World Championships in Qatar.
Shericka Jackson shifts to shorter sprints
But in 2021, under the tutelage of new coach Stephen Francis, Jackson decided to switch gears and focus on shorter sprints. And it paid off big for Jackson. She went on to medal in bronze in the 100 meters and in the 4×100 meters at her second Olympics in Tokyo.
In 2022, she ushered in a new era and achieved a dominant performance at the 2022 World Championships in Oregon, reaching the podium three times. She was second in the 100 meters and the 4×100 meters and was named the champion in the 200 meters with a time of 21.45 seconds. In the same year, she also competed in the NACAC Championships and again clinched first place in the 100 meter event with a time of 10.83 seconds.
Jackson dominates the ‘23 season
It’s no secret that Shericka Jackson has been aiming for Flo-Jo’s 200-meter world record since the start of the 2023 World Championships, but so far the record has eluded her. In Budapest, Jackson came tantalizingly close to breaking the 35-year old record, clocking a personal best of 21.41 seconds to take the lead in the event.
Despite failing to break the record, this motivation proved to be working for Jackson as she continued to sweep gold medals in the World Championships, in the Diamond League meetings in Zurich and Brussels, and finally at the Prefontaine Classic.
Jackson achieved gold medals in both the 100 and 200-meter running events at the Oregon Prefontaine Classic, beating the top-ranked 100-meter sprinter in the world, Sha’Carri Richardson.
Earlier this year at the Jamaica Track and Field Championships, Jackson also clinched first place in the 100-meter event, clocking 10.65 seconds to set a personal best and world lead.
Rises through the ranks
In just two short years, Jackson has skyrocketed up the rankings of the ‘Greatest Women Combo Sprinters’ thanks to her success in shorter sprints. The rankings are based on how many points a sprinter gets for their 100, 200, and 400-meter personal bests.
In an electrifying display of youthful prowess, teen sensation Quincy Wilson from the Bullis School in Potomac, Maryland, etched his name into the annals of sports history on Friday.
The 16-year-old is the youngest male track and field athlete to represent Team USA, opening the first heat of the 4×400 relay with the eyes of the world upon him.
Despite not reaching his peak performance, Wilson’s presence in Paris was undeniably earned. The teenage phenomenon has already proven himself to be a force to be reckoned with, outpacing sprinting legend Usain Bolt’s times at the same age. At the US Olympic team trials in June, Wilson not only set but also shattered the under-18 world record in the 400m, clocking in at 44.59 seconds and breaking the 42-year-old record set by Darrell Robinson.
Teen sensation Quincy Wilson
Wilson’s speed at this tender age is nothing short of astonishing, with Bolt’s best time in the 400m trailing Wilson’s latest effort by nearly a full second. Even in the 400m final at the trials, Wilson finished sixth, showcasing his talent on a national stage.
But Wilson’s achievements extend beyond the track. He’s already made a name for himself off the field, signing an NIL deal with New Balance while still in high school and amassing a significant following on Instagram, currently standing at 257k followers.
Coming from a family with a strong athletic background, Wilson’s sister is a sprinter for James Madison University, and his cousin, Shaniya Hall, runs for the University of Oregon.
At the Stade de France on Friday, Wilson faced a challenge, running a 47.27 in the 4×400 relay, a time that was off his personal best. However, the Americans managed a close finish, securing third place and advancing, thanks in part to anchor Chris Bailey’s impressive 44.14 leg.
After the race, Wilson acknowledged that he wasn’t at his best, possibly due to not being 100% healthy. Yet, he expressed his gratitude to his teammates for their support and effort, emphasizing the team’s collective spirit and determination.
Humility and gratitude
“I know I wasn’t 100% myself, but my team came out here and did it for me,” Wilson said. “They got me around the track today. My grit and determination got me around the track. I knew I had a great three legs behind me and I know it wasn’t just myself today. If it was just myself, we would be in last place. But these guys came out there and gave it their all.”
Wilson’s journey is just beginning, and his resilience and team spirit, along with his undeniable talent, make him a star to watch in the world of track and field.
Armand Duplantis reaches new heights at Prefontaine Classic
Armand Duplantis’ triumphant ascent at the Prefontaine Classic marks the culmination of a lengthy journey to achieve greatness.
Since the Brussels Diamond League, Duplantis has relentlessly pursued the goal of surpassing his own world record of 6.22 meters. During that event, the Swedish-American athlete openly criticized his performance, deeming his jumps as subpar. While he managed to clear an impressive 6.10 meters, his three subsequent attempts at 6.23 meters proved unsuccessful.
“I had it in me to jump the world record today and I really thought I was going to do it. It’s a shame but my jumps were lousy,” Duplantis said of his performance in Brussels.
Despite this result, Armand Duplantis still came out victorious in Brussels, with Sam Kendricks in second place and EJ Obiena in third place.
Armand Duplantis’ history of breaking records
Duplantis is considered a “titan” when it comes to Pole Vault competitions. In February of 2020, he cleared an impressive 6.17 meters in Torun and broke Lavillenie’s previous world record of 6.16 meters when he was just twenty years old.
In the subsequent years, his dominance in the sport remained unchallenged.
Duplantis consistently pushed the boundaries, relentlessly striving to surpass his own records, ultimately solidifying his reign as the unrivaled pole vault champion.
Prior to the Prefontaine Classic, Duplantis had shattered his own record an astounding six times within a mere three-year timeframe.
Armand Duplantis’ Seventh World Record at Hayward Field
At the Diamond League, there was much anticipation for athletes to break world records that day. For the 200 meters, it was Jackson who tried to beat the 35-year old record of Flo-Jo. For Duplantis, it was his own record of 6.22 meters that he was trying to surpass.
All eyes were on Armand Duplantis on September 17. The audience and his competitors were all aware of his goal.
In his first attempt, Duplantis immediately cleared the 6.23-meter mark. Finally reaching his goal for the season, he bounced off the mat and ran across the stands, throwing his hands in the air in celebration.
“I’m usually pretty excited for those world records because they feel good. What else can you say really?” Duplantis told reporters.
“It was a crazy way to end the year, I’ve never had an ending like this.”, he added.
Duplantis also revealed what he hopes to accomplish at the end of his professional life.
“By the end of my career, I hope to definitely have the bar up there that I think is the highest that I could have possibly achieved.”
At sixteen, Quincy Wilson is already making waves in the track and field world by working tirelessly to realize his dream.
He made history at the Paris Games by becoming the youngest male track and field competitor from the United States and competing for the 4×400-metre relay team. His remarkable journey has not gone unnoticed; Sports Illustrated named him one of the “Teen Titans” in its 2024 list of up-and-coming athletes.
At the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials, Quincy Wilson made waves by breaking the record for males under 18 with 44.94 seconds, finishing sixth in the 400-metre final. On July 19, he set a personal best, breaking his mark.
Quincy Wilson, a U-18 400m star, to visit Texas A&M following an NCAA tradition.
RoriDunk recently revealed on X that U-18 400m record holder Quincy Wilson, after finishing school at Bullis in Maryland, will visit Texas A&M this weekend. As Wilson considers his college options, Texas A&M is a serious contender because of its history of producing NCAA stars like Fred Kerley and Deon Lendore.
Former basketball player Fred Kerley transferred to track at South Plains College before enrolling at Texas A&M.
Quincy Wilson breaks performance records and lights up the track.
Noah Lyles noticed Quincy Wilson in March and gave him a lot of credit on Twitter after Wilson broke the high school indoor 400-metre record. Wilson said, “I’ve looked up to Lyles and Fred Kerley for a long time,” as he thought back on this accomplishment. But I believe it’s my turn now.” At a competition in Florida on July 18, he not only lived up to Team USA’s high expectations, but he also broke the under-18 world mark with a stunning performance of 44.20 seconds.
