16-year-old Quincy Wilson confirms participation in relay, becomes youngest-ever male US Track & field Olympian

By Animesh Pandey

Modified Aug 08, 2024 11:34 GMT

Quincy Wilson is in the news for all the right reasons. The 16-year-old sprinter from Chesapeake in Virginia is officially confirmed to participate in the 4x400m relay event at the Paris Olympics 2024.

As per the latest updates, Wilson will lead the pack during the heats of the 4x400m relay event, which will take place on 9 August.

Track and Field Gazette posted on their X account:

"Quincy Wilson to lead off the US men's 4x400m team in the prelims tomorrow at the Paris 2024 Olympics. He will make history as the youngest male athlete to represent the United States in Track and field at the Olympics."

Wilson is the youngest American male track and field athlete to take part in any Summer Olympics. Before him, the record was jointly held by Jim Ryun and Erriyon Knighton. Both were 17 years old when they made their debut at the Olympics.

Interestingly, both of them have one common factor: the Tokyo Olympics. Jim Ryun made his debut at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, while Erriyon made his debut 57 years later, at the Tokyo Olympics 2020, delayed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the record for the youngest American to represent the nation in track and field at the Olympics remains with Esther Stroy according to Olympics historian, Bill Mallon. The female sprinter was just 15 years old when she participated in women's 400m at the Mexico City Olympics in 1968.

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Quincy Wilson's performances up to the Paris Olympics

Quincy Wilson [Extreme Left] in action at the US Olympic Track and Field Trials 2024 [Image Source: Getty]

Before March 2024, not many knew Quincy Wilson. However, participating in Maryland's Bullis School's athletics team, he set an under-18 world record for the men's indoor 400m dash.

This was just the beginning. In the subsequent months, Wilson transformed into an overnight sensation with his performances at the US Olympic Track and Field Trials. In the preliminaries, the young American sprinter clocked an astounding 44.66, only behind Quincy Hall's timing of 44.60 seconds. In one dash, Wilson had broken the under-18 world record set by Justin Robinson, who had clocked 44.84 seconds in 2019.

In the semifinals, Wilson went a notch better, with an astonishing timing of 44.59 seconds. Unfortunately, Quincy Wilson managed to only finish sixth in the finals. However, the sprinter's efforts did not go unnoticed.

After his impressive performances and efforts at the Olympic trials, the American authorities decided to include Wilson in the U.S. Olympic track and field team as well. Quincy Wilson was given a place in the 4x400m relay event, alongside Chris Bailey, Bryce Deadmon, Olympic gold medalist Quincy Hall, Michael Norman, and Vernon Norwood.

Wilson did not disappoint either. Only a month after the trials, he clocked a personal best of 44.20 seconds at the Holloway Pro Classic in Gainesville, Florida. Quincy Wilson will now be in action at the men's 4x400m relay event heats, which will begin tomorrow, i.e. 9 August. The finals for the same event will be held the following day, i.e. 10 August at Stade de France, the main venue for the Paris Olympics.