Current:Home > MyYoung track star Quincy Wilson, 16, gets historic chance to go to the Olympics -ProfitEdge
Young track star Quincy Wilson, 16, gets historic chance to go to the Olympics
View
Date:2025-04-17 00:26:33
A high schooler from Maryland who doesn't even have a driver's license could make U.S. Olympics history on Monday.
Quincy Wilson, 16, is set to compete in the men's 400-meter final at the Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon. If he performs well, he could earn a spot on Team USA going to the Paris Olympics —and become the youngest American male to be part of the Olympic track team.
On Sunday, the young athlete secured a personal best time of 44.59 seconds and surpassed his own under-18 world 400-meter record in the semifinal to advance to the final. It's the second time he beat the record in two days after he clocked in 44.66 seconds on Friday, beating out other runners in his heat and grabbing the record for his own.
Following the Sunday race, he told NBC Sports that he "gave everything" he had as he ran closer to the finish line.
"I know that last 100 was going to be hard," he said. "I've been studying these guys. Last year I was in the stands watching them, so. I'm really out here now, and I'm competing with them. I'm so thankful to be in this moment."
The final will be at 9:59 p.m. Monday ET. It'll feature other runners such as 2023 U.S. national champion and two-time medalist Bryce Deadmon, as well as Vernon Norwood, who won gold and bronze medals with Deadmon at the Tokyo Games. Deadmon and Norwood finished ahead of Wilson in Sunday's race.
Wilson told NBC Sports that competing against older athletes and one twice his age like Norwood, 32, is "nothing different."
"We put on the same shoes the same way," he said. "We come out here, it's really just who has a better race, and today we all fought it out."
The top three finishers of the final on Monday will go to Paris, but some of the other runners could be considered for the relay team. If Wilson makes it, he would be the youngest track and field male Olympian, according to Bill Mallon, an Olympics historian. The youngest ever track and field American athlete is Esther Stroy, who competed at the age of 15 in the 1968 Olympics, Mallon told CBS News.
Wilson, a rising junior from Potomac, Maryland, comes after having plenty of high school success. While he's yet to have his own driver's license, he already has his own deal with New Balance, who signed him last year.
- In:
- Olympics
Christopher Brito is a social media manager and trending content writer for CBS News.
veryGood! (4995)
Related
- Realtor group picks top 10 housing hot spots for 2025: Did your city make the list?
- Erik Menendez’s Wife Tammi Menendez Shares Plea for His Release After Resentencing Decision
- Republicans hope to retain 3 open Indiana House seats and target another long held by Democrats
- Queen Camilla Withdraws From Public Engagements Due to Chest Infection
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- North Dakota measures would end local property taxes and legalize recreational marijuana
- These farm country voters wish presidential candidates paid them more attention
- Banana Republic Outlet Quietly Dropped Early Black Friday Deals—Fur Coats, Sweaters & More for 70% Off
- In ‘Nickel Boys,’ striving for a new way to see
- Are schools closed on Election Day? Here's what to know before polls open
Ranking
- Costco membership growth 'robust,' even amid fee increase: What to know about earnings release
- Brooklyn Peltz Beckham Details Double Dates With Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco
- Powerball winning numbers for November 4 drawing: Jackpot hits $63 million
- North Carolina’s top lawyer and No. 2 executive are vying for governor
- Angelina Jolie nearly fainted making Maria Callas movie: 'My body wasn’t strong enough'
- Powerball winning numbers for November 4 drawing: Jackpot hits $63 million
- Ohio set to decide constitutional amendment establishing a citizen-led redistricting commission
- US Rep. John Curtis is favored to win Mitt Romney’s open Senate seat in Utah
Recommendation
Spooky or not? Some Choa Chu Kang residents say community garden resembles cemetery
Ex-Ohio police officer found guilty of murder in 2020 Andre Hill shooting
Gerrit Cole, Yankees call each others' bluffs in opt-out saga: 'Grass isn’t always greener'
Kentucky voters to decide fate of school choice ballot measure
A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
Taylor Swift watches Chiefs play Monday Night Football after end of US Eras Tour
Colin Allred, Ted Cruz reach end of Senate race that again tests GOP dominance in Texas
Jonathan Haze, who played Seymour in 'The Little Shop of Horrors,' dies at 95: Reports