EUGENE – At 16, Quincy Wilson is competing in Olympic qualifying matches against adults who are almost twice his age. But the enormous difference in age and experience doesn’t seem to bother him.
Wilson broke his own U18 400m world record in Sunday’s semi-final when he crossed the finish line in a personal best of 44.59 seconds, and he equalled the record on Friday by winning his heat in 44.66.
“It means a lot to me because it means my hard work paid off,” Wilson said after breaking his own record he set on Saturday. “I’m just happy for myself.”
Wilson, who attends the Bullis School in Maryland, finished behind Bryce Deadmon (44.44) and Vernon Norwood (44.50), but his time was good enough to make the finals.
“Today I just came here and gave it everything I had. I knew the last 100 was going to be tough,” Wilson told NBC. “I’m competing with them. I’m just grateful to be able to experience this moment.”
The men’s 400m final will be held Monday at 9:59 p.m. ET on NBC.
“I’m just out there running for my life. The race plan has been thrown out the window. (Monday) I can do a lot to improve,” Wilson said. “I’m in the biggest final in the world (Monday). At 16 years old, I’m over the moon right now. …It’s one of the happiest days of my life.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Track qualifying for 2024 Olympics: 16-year-old qualifies for men’s 400-meter final
