Quincy Wilson, 16, breaks U-18 world record twice on way to 400m final at U.S. Trials: 'All I'm doing is heart'
The world record had stood for 42 years.
Quincy Wilson broke it twice in three days.
The 16-year-old sprinting sensation based in Maryland is turning heads at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - track & field in Eugene, Oregon, this weekend, and has qualified for the men's 400m final on Monday (24 June).
He's done so with two record-breaking runs, a 44.66 in round one and 44.59 in the semi-finals, both of which snapped the under-18 world record, set back in 1982 by Darrell Robinson.
"I've been working for this moment," Wilson told a large group of reporters that had swarmed around the teen sensation in Eugene.
"Forty-two years... that record stood for 42 years! It means a lot to me to be able to break it. I've been staying longer after practices, coming in before practices... I'm just excited for myself."
Wilson has the fourth-fastest time heading into Monday's final, with a legitimate shot at making the three-man 400m team. 2022 world champion Michael Norman headlines the race, with fellow Olympians Vernon Norwood, and reigning world bronze medallist Quincy Hall.
Wilson would be the youngest U.S. Olympic track and field Olympian since Cindy Gilbert in 1972 and youngest U.S. Olympic male runner ever, according to Olympic historians.
"All I'm doing is heart," Wilson said of his breakout season. "Most 16-year-olds would get scared when it comes to the big competitors, so I'm running for my life out there. Vernon? He's 32. I'm half his age."
"I have a lot of things that I can do to improve for the final. That was the first thing that we did after [the semi]... the things I gotta do for the final. We're not caught up in the moment. I think I have great things for the final. I can't wait for it."
Quincy Wilson: Eyes U.S. Olympic team in 400m
Wilson attends the well-regarded Bullis School in the Washington, D.C., area, and has been turned heads for much of the last 18 months as he's made splashes across high-level high school, junior and - now - professional events.
In March, Noah Lyles tweeted about Wilson after he broke the high school record in the 400m indoors. Wilson said he's looked up to Lyles and fellow Paris-bound sprinter Fred Kerley "for a long time."
What else might be a "long time?" Wilson getting his driver's license, with the teenager telling reporters his priority - no shock - is a spot in Paris should he qualify.
"I'm in the world's biggest [domestic] final on Monday," he said bluntly. "At 16 years old, I'm ecstatic right now."
"It's one of the happiest days of my life."