Team USA runner Quincy Wilson made history on Friday, as he became the youngest male track and field athlete to compete for the USA.
The 16-year-old out of the Bullis School in Potomac, Maryland was the opener for the first heat of the 4×400 relay.
And while the teenager performed below his best, there’s no doubt that Wilson – who’s faster than Usain Bolt was at his age – is in Paris on merit.
Wilson set an under-18 world record – and then broke it again days later – at the US Olympic Team Trials in June when he ran a 44.66 400m and then a 44.59 to break the 42-year-old mark originally set by Darrell Robinson.
Bolt’s best time in the 400m was nearly a full second behind Wilson’s latest effort, at 45.35 in 2003.
Quincy Wilson made history on Friday as he made his Olympics debut at 16 years old
And in the 400m final at the trials, Wilson finished sixth behind newly-minted gold medalist Quincy Hall.
Even before the Olympics, Wilson had already achieved some fame as he had signed an NIL deal with New Balance while still in high school.
As of Friday night, he also has 257k followers on Instagram.
Notably, Wilson’s sister is a sprinter for James Madison University, while cousin Shaniya Hall also runs for the University of Oregon, according to NBC News.
Wilson was some ways off his best on Friday at the Stade de France as he ran a 47.27, forcing the Americans into a closer-than-expected finish just to grab third and move on.
Wilson began the race for the United States and didn’t perform his best at the Stade de France
He was embraced by some of his competitors, including Jaden Marchan of Trinidad & Tobago, after the match
After the race, some competitors from Trinidad & Tobago could be seen offering some words of encouragement to Wilson.
He suggested afterwards that he was not 100% healthy, but thanked his teammates for picking up his slack as anchor Chris Bailey ran a 44.14 leg to finish things off.
‘I know I wasn’t 100% myself, but my team came out here and did it for me,’ Wilson said.
‘They got me around the track today. My grit and determination got me around the track. I knew I had a great three legs behind me and I know it wasn’t just myself today. If it was just myself, we would be in last place. But these guys came out there and gave it their all.’
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