Quincy Wilson has been a rising star in track and field and has been turning heads all around. After all, the 17-year-old prodigy already has an Olympic gold to his name, which he won in Paris 2024. And if that was not enough, Wilson’s recent performances have been simply phenomenal. Just last year in 2024, he nearly broke Will Summer’s record in the 500m category with a clock time of 1:01:27. And with the NB indoors starting on 2nd February, he will have yet another chance to make his mark.
But things haven’t been all peachy for Wilson. At the 2025 VA showcase, the prodigy narrowly missed breaking the record books. And to add insult to injury, it was fellow high school rival Adam Salvodon who beat him. Adam broke the 500-meter record with a run of 1:00:49 and, in the process, snatched the title from Wilson’s hands. Thus his long-cherished wish of breaking Will Summer’s record ended up in a major failure. And thus some concerns have risen regarding his form.
Looking at how things have transpired, US track and field legend Justin Gatlin has some important observations to make. In a discussion with Rodney Green on the Ready Set Go podcast, the duo delved deep into all things Quincy Wilson. Gatlin started by saying that he is not worried about Wilson losing his focus from the shock defeat. Instead, Gatlin pointed out that things are quite unpredictable in the track and field realm and such setbacks are part and parcel of the game. However, he also mentioned that now Wilson has become a target for other high school athletes.
Case in point: the hype surrounding Salvodon would have significantly diminished if Quincy wasn’t in the race. But now people know that Quincy can be defeated and will be gunning for him. Moreover, Gatlin stated that his biggest concern now is Wilson burning himself out. He mentions, “You know, you’re going to have a high school season. And then you’re going to jump into the professional realm and have a professional season.”
The US track legend further added, “But it’s also a gamble as you go into the next year and try to do the same thing again. And then the next year, you try to do the same thing again. Like, are you going to burn yourself out? So my only concern is he’s pacing himself.” While listening to Gatlin’s detailed analysis, his co-host, Rodney Green too, agreed. However, shouting out to Quincy Wilson, the duo wished him all the best for his upcoming race at Millrose. But Quincy Wilson himself appears not to be riled up by all this.
Quincy Wilson issues warning to his rivals
Quincy Wilson is not looking bothered a bit by his loss against Andrew Salvodon. Despite losing out on a golden opportunity to break Will Sumner’s record at the 2025 VA Showcase, Wilson is now looking ahead to fresh challenges. And mind you, the Olympic gold medalist has issued some stern warnings to his rivals.
Wilson joined FloTrack with Colin Abrams and Jake Odey-Jordan to shed light on his plans. “Well, for me tomorrow, my goal is just to better myself,” said Wilson. He further added, “I haven’t been training for too long, so my goal is just to improve. We have had a long season, so I’m just trying to be better than I was last year.”
And that was not all. The 17-year-old track phenom also revealed his goal of running even faster in the upcoming days. Now with his fellow competitors giving him a hard time as well, Quincy Wilson knows that he needs to push his limits significantly to rise and shine. And the young Olympian is not shying away from taking up the challenge.
“Like you said, bettering myself from last year is the national record, so if that’s in the cards, I have a lot of great competition. I think they’ll push me to where I want to be and to limits I have never reached before,” said Wilson. Thus, with things looking quite rosy for Quincy Wilson, it now remains to be seen how well things pan out for the 17-year-old as 2025 unfolds further.
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