Quincy Wilson: American sprinter, 16, on track to become youngest American male athlete ever on Olympic track

CNN
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Teenage sprinter Quincy Wilson is set to become the youngest American male athlete to compete in the Olympic Games. The 16-year-old announced that he has been selected for the 4×400-meter relay at this year’s Olympic Games in Paris.

Wilson shared the news on his Instagram on Sunday, writing, “WE’RE GOING TO THE OLYMPICS,” while also sharing multiple posts reporting that he had made the team.

Wilson’s coach Joe Lee also confirmed the news to both the Washington Post and USA Today.

“I got the call directly from USA Track & Field,” Lee told USA Today. “I then called Quincy with the good news.”

USA Track & Field declined to confirm the news to CNN, saying the full team roster — including the relay pool — will be officially announced on July 8.

Wilson’s selection follows a brilliant debut at the US Olympic qualifiers last week, where he twice broke the world record in the 400 metres.

Despite failing to qualify for the 400 meters and finishing sixth in the final, Wilson still ran an under-18 world record of 44.59 seconds in the semi-finals on Sunday, two days after initially breaking the record with a time of 44.66.

“I don’t know if my season is over yet, I don’t want to start eating ice cream too soon,” Wilson said after the 400-meter race, before discovering he had made it into the relay pool.

Born in 2008, Wilson has quickly developed into one of the most promising rising stars in athletics.

The sprinter seems to be breaking records with every run and now appears to have the chance to prove himself on the world stage.