Quincy Wilson, teenage track star, breaks U18 men’s 400m WR again

Quincy Wilson, the 16-year-old breakout star of the U.S. Olympic track and field trials, clocked another record-breaking performance in the men’s 400 meters at the Holloway Pro Classic on Friday as he continues to make his case for a spot on the 4×400 relay team that will run in Paris.

Wilson ran a 44.20 to reset the U18 men’s 400m world record and broke his own U.S. high school record en route to winning the race at the American Track League event in Gainesville, Fla. The Bullis School student beat 2023 national champion Bryce Deadmon, who crossed the finish line at 44.23 to place second.

Wilson impressed at the U.S. Olympic trials, breaking the previous 42-year-old under-18 record while winning his preliminary 400m heat in 44.66 seconds, then breaking that mark two days later in the semifinals, running 44.59. His time dipped to 44.94 in the final, but a strong last 100 meters moved him into sixth place. He’ll head to Paris as one of six runners in the pool for America’s 4×400 relay team.

The top three times from the 400m finals of trials are automatically in the pool. Quincy Hall won the gold medal, while Michael Norman and Chris Bailey finished second and third. They will compete for the U.S. in the 400m. Tradition states Vernon Norwood, the fourth-place finisher, gets one of the spots and the last two are at the discretion of the coaches. The relay pool is designed to spread out the load over two rounds. The final, when it’s time to win a medal, is where the best will take over.

The relay team will be officially announced later this month, and Wilson is firmly in the mix. He is the youngest male track athlete ever to make a U.S. Olympic team and already has an NIL deal with New Balance.

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(Photo: Christian Petersen / Getty Images)