Follow our Olympics coverage in the run up to the Paris Games.
EUGENE, Ore. — Quincy Wilson would love to get his driver's license.
He will turn 16 years and 6 months old, the minimum age in Maryland, in a few weeks. He must take a driver's education course, which consists of 30 hours of instruction and six hours of driving instruction, before he can take the driver's license test.
“To be honest with you, the next thing he wants to do is get his driver's license,” coach Joe Lee said.
Quincy Wilson really wants to play video games.
The U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials are taking up all his focus, and he can't put on the headset, pick up the controller and lose himself in a game of Call of Duty: Warzone — with the guys, of course.
“I'm going to play when I get home,” he said. “I can't wait to play. I haven't played yet. People are calling me and saying, 'When you're done, will you play?' So yeah, I'm going to play.”
“I'm thinking about getting on Twitch and actually playing games because like I said I'm good at games, I'm good at any game.”
Quincy Wilson is pretty good at running… but did you know he's also good at video games?! Quincy… pic.twitter.com/Bql0Q8asqS
— CITIUS MAG (@CitiusMag) June 25, 2024
Quincy Wilson wants ice cream.
He's been abstaining from sweets, and, since it's been a while, he knows that a scoop of cookies and cream tastes incredible.
“When it comes to junk food, I try not to eat too much of it,” he says. “It tastes good the first time, but if you keep eating it, it's not as good.”
Wilson has been working tirelessly over the past couple of months, first focusing on doing well at New Balance Nationals and plotting his path to the Trials, then putting all his effort into the Trials last week, before turning all his energy towards Paris.
When he returns, life as a teenager awaits him, but it probably won't be the same as before – not now that he's a national celebrity.
Millions of people watched him run against the giants at these trials. Millions of people appreciated his talent, his resilience, his potential. After that, you can't just be a normal teenager again. Because Deon Sanders and Tyreek Hill love you. Because Snoop Dogg wants to meet you. you.
Maybe that's part of why Wilson's coach was in tears after Monday's 400-meter final, when Wilson's prodigy fell 0.53 seconds short of his Olympic dream. Lee, his coach at Maryland-Bliss, must have been hoping Wilson would get the ultimate reward for all the sacrifices he's made from his normal life. But Lee now knows that all that has changed.
There is still a trace of pure soul in Wilson. His smile is still effortless. His charm is still boyish. His voice still sings with innocence. His eyes still dream. It's one of the reasons people are drawn to him.
The coach usually preaches that crying is not allowed in athletics, but Wilson “was doing the Michael Jordan meme,” because he knows what fame, expectations, and society can do to people, and to teenagers. Wilson's pure heart is apparent throughout it all.
“If you knew the pressure and strain he's been through,” Lee said, “and he's done it with a smile on his face. You have to give credit to his parents for raising such an incredible kid. If you know him — I know him. We spoke every day, multiple times a day. What he's been through is something he didn't deserve. The hate. People saying negative things. Show me the bad side of this kid. Of course you don't want to pay attention to that. But he's 16.”
Quincy Wilson placed sixth in the 400-meter final on Monday, missing out on an individual spot in Paris but keeping him in contention for a relay spot. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Quincy is currently waiting to see if he will sit out the rest of the summer or go to France. He still has a chance to be selected for the men's 4x400m relay team.
He didn't execute his race plan as well as he had hoped on Monday and regrets not pushing harder at the start of the race.
But his final run was as strong and sprint-worthy as ever, covering the final 100 meters in 11.98 seconds, his fastest final split time of any of the three races and the only time he was under 12 seconds.
He had never broken 45 seconds before the heats, but in Eugene he did it three times over the four days. The only other swimmers to break 45 seconds were Quincy Hall, 25, who won gold in the 400 heats, and Chris Bailey, 24, who won bronze. Silver medalist Michael Norman, 26, ran 45.30 and 45.31 in his first two rounds before exploding in the final with a time of 44.41. Vernon Norwood, 32, who placed fourth, broke 45 seconds in his final two rounds and finished with a time of 44.47 in the final. Bryce Dedmon, 27, who placed fifth and broke 45 seconds for two rounds, is expected to be a strong contender for the top relay team.
No one was faster than Wilson, whose time of 44.59 seconds in the semifinals was the eighth-fastest time in the heats.
But the coaches aren't just using 400-meter runners in the relay. The reigning Olympic and world champion in the 400-meter hurdles, 26-year-old Rai Benjamin, is a professional 4×400 runner who has won three gold medals, including at the last Olympics and the last world championships. Also in the mix is Noah Lyles, the favorite to win the 200 meters at the Trials. Lyles will compete in the 4×100, but has shown ability in the longer distance events in the past.
The decision may not be made immediately. Many factors are involved: team chemistry, opponent analysis, future impact, relationships, etc. It's not just a matter of time.
“I don't know. It's a political thing,” Quincy said of the relay chances, “because they can nominate somebody from whatever event they want, the 100, 200, 800, mile. For all I know, they might nominate a long jumper. I'm just waiting and waiting.”
The wait began as soon as Monday's 400-meter final finished. After catching his breath after finishing in sixth place, Quincy walked over to his coach. NBC was scheduled to interview the teenager. But in the meantime, with the defeat still raw, the 16-year-old and his coach took it all in. The medalists taking a victory lap. The throngs of people cheering him on. The energy of the stadium. Coach and boy prodigy just stood there.
“I just wanted to make sure he was OK,” Lee said at the time. “My thoughts were with him because he was in the international spotlight, and he missed his goal. When we miss our goals in life, usually it's not on a stage like this. Maybe we achieve it in front of our colleagues, our family. But when you're a teenager and you don't achieve your goal with millions of people watching, it's hard to accept. Let's give him some credit for doing it.”
Wilson, with the wisdom of the old, seemed to have a way with that perspective, and was certainly OK. He was feeling a little sick and had to go into the tunnel for a while. But he was back on the track. He gave interviews, talked to fans and signed autographs. The loss didn't change his upbeat mood.
He vividly remembers being in Texas for the AAU Junior Olympics when he was 8 years old, watching stars like Brandon Miller and Tyrese Cooper running and asking his mom what it would take if he wanted to be like them, he recalled as he sat at Hayward Field and soaked up the energy.
“I'm really here,” he thought to himself. “I can't believe it.”
Quincy had the loudest cheers in the stadium when his name was announced. He got thunderous applause even after he lost. Adults cheer for him, kids look up to him, and talented colleagues look up to him.
Eight years later, he's just like them. Even bigger.
“I'm glad to see such an incredible young man being supported,” Lee said. “Everybody can relate to having someone they know or are close to who is a teenager who wants to do great things. To see people supporting that made me feel good about where our country is at. … There's a lot of stuff going on in terms of where we are as a nation that I'm not going to get into, but it's not about race or color or anything like that. This is about a young man trying to achieve his dreams.”
Going to Paris may still be possible, but remember that dream also includes eating ice cream, playing Call of Duty, and learning to drive, just like any teenager would.
Going deeper
Asing Mu, Nia Akins, and the cruel line between Olympic dreams and suffering
(Top photo of Quincy Wilson in Monday's 400m final: Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
