Sweet 16: Quincy Wilson travels to Paris as youngest US Olympian ever
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16-year-old Quincy Wilson travels to Paris as part of the U.S. 4x400 relay team. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
EUGENE, Oregon — Quincy Wilson’s driver’s test will probably have to wait.
He may be too busy this summer to prepare.
Wilson, the 16-year-old phenom who thrilled fans during the U.S. Olympic track and field trials, will head to Paris as part of the U.S. team’s 4x400-meter relay, his coach confirmed to Yahoo Sports early Monday morning. Bullis School coach Joe Lee said he “received a call from the U.S. Olympic coaching staff telling him the news” as soon as the trials concluded Sunday night.
When USA Track & Field officially announces its Olympic roster next week, Wilson will be the youngest man ever to make the U.S. Olympic team. He is about a year younger than middle-distance runner Jim Ryun, who competed in 1964 at the age of 17 years, 137 days.
Wilson earned his spot in the relay group by finishing sixth in the 400-meter final last Monday, capping a stunning weekend that saw him run three consecutive laps around Hayward Field in under 45 seconds.
In his debut at the Olympic Qualifying Events, Wilson broke a 42-year-old under-18 world record when he won the men’s 400m in 44.66 seconds. That record stood for two days before Wilson beat it again in the 400m semi-final with a time of 44.59 seconds.
It would have been a fairytale ending if Wilson had finished in the top three in the 400-meter final, but his time of 44.94 seconds was still impressive. He was chasing three of the fastest 400-meter runners in America down the home stretch, not bad for a kid just finishing his sophomore year of high school.
The excitement surrounding Wilson reached a peak after these performances. Deion Sanders congratulated him on X. Michael Johnson did the same. Magic Johnson invited Wilson to go to a Washington Commanders game with him in a suite.
Now Wilson will also have the experience of going to Paris, preparing him for what could be a long career in athletics. Last September, at just 15 years old, Wilson signed a NIL contract with New Balance. In April, he signed with WME Sports, the same agency that represents Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.
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