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.
Cover Photo: IG
Source: Essentiallysports
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