American teen sprint star Quincy Wilson to make Olympic debut in relay
Quincy Wilson will reportedly lead off the U.S. men's 4x400m relay team in Friday's heats
Photo by:
Kevin Morris
American teenage sprint sensation Quincy Wilson, the youngest track and field athlete at the Paris Olympics, is set to make his Olympic debut; he will reportedly lead off the U.S. men’s 4x400m relay team in Friday morning’s heats.
Perhaps he’s running after all…👀
16-year-old Quincy Wilson (@QuincyWilson5) shares on Instagram, “Tune in Friday morning @ 5:05 am est.”
That’s when the first round heats for the men’s 4x400m relay are scheduled.#Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/ACs7V1j3Kq
— FloTrack (@FloTrack) August 8, 2024
Wilson’s selection comes after he was notably left out of the USA’s mixed 4x400m team, a decision that drew criticism after the Americans had to settle for silver in the final, despite breaking the world record in the heats. The U.S. men’s 4x400m relay team will be strong favourites for Olympic gold, especially after Quincy Hall’s electrifying performance to win the men’s 400m gold on Wednesday at the Stade de France.
The 16-year-old from Maryland earned his spot in the U.S. Olympic team with a sixth-place finish in the men’s 400m at the U.S. Olympic Trials in June. This season, Wilson has shattered the U18 world 400m record three times, most recently lowering it to 44.20 seconds at the Holloway Pro Classic in Florida two weeks ago.
At just 16 years and 176 days old, Wilson became the youngest American male track athlete ever named to the U.S. Olympic Team, surpassing 200m sprinter Erriyon Knighton, who was 17 when he made the U.S. team for Tokyo 2020. Remarkably, Wilson, who just completed his sophomore year at the Bullis School in Potomac, Md., reportedly doesn’t even have his driver’s license yet.
The decision to have Wilson lead off the relay may have been driven by caution, as the U.S. Olympic relay coach, Mike Marsh, likely wanted to minimize the risk of a botched handoff, given Wilson’s lack of prior relay experience on the international stage.
The first round of the men’s and women’s 4x400m relays will go on Friday morning at 11:05 a.m. local time (5:05 a.m. ET).
Athletics events at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games are taking place from Aug. 1-11. Today’s coverage is brought to you by Canadian Running and PUMA Canada. Follow us on Twitter on Instagram for all things Team Canada and up-to-date exclusive news and content.
