Quincy Wilson, a 16-year-old from Bullis School near Washington D.C., finished sixth in the 400-meter final at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials on Monday with a time of 44.94 seconds.
Quincy Hall won the race with a time of 44.17 seconds. Michael Norman (44.41 seconds) and Chris Bailey (44.42 seconds) also made the team heading to Paris.
Although Wilson didn’t make the team as an individual runner and become the youngest male ever to do so, he still has a chance to be part of the U.S. 4×400 relay team.
Despite not making the individual team, Wilson had an amazing weekend. He set and then broke the world record for under-18 runners, which had stood for 42 years.
“I’ve never been this happy about track,” Wilson said after running 44.59 seconds in the semifinals. “I’ve worked hard for this moment. Breaking a 42-year-old record twice in two days means a lot to me. It shows my hard work is paying off.”
Wilson, who just finished his sophomore year of high school 19 days ago, competed against some of the world’s fastest runners this week. Vernon Norwood is 32, twice Wilson’s age. Michael Norman, 26, finished fifth in the Tokyo Games.
Norman praised Wilson’s performance, saying, “A 16-year-old competing like a true competitor is amazing. He’s handling the pressure well and pushing us to run faster. He has a bright future if he stays focused.”
Wilson, who is 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 140 pounds, could have given up in the semifinal. At the final turn, he was in fifth place but managed to push himself to third.
“Stay calm,” he told himself. “I didn’t start the way I wanted, but like my coach said, the race starts at 300 meters. Moving from fifth to third means a lot. I’m not as strong physically, so it’s all about heart.”