Quincy Wilson, a 10th-grade student from Potomac, Md., might be the fastest high schooler in the world. This past weekend at the New Balance Indoor Nationals in Boston, Wilson shattered the U.S. high school indoor 400m record, which had stood for 20 years, along with the world U18 best for the distance.
45.76s!!🤯🔥
16-year-old Quincy Wilson 🇺🇸 breaks the US High School National Record, running a massive PB of 45.76s in the Boys 400m at the NB Indoor Nationals!
He won by almost 2 seconds.🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/VGQ9yqp6IN
— Track & Field Gazette (@TrackGazette) March 10, 2024
The 16-year-old stopped the clock in a jaw-dropping time of 45.76 seconds, smashing the previous high school and U18 world record by two tenths of a second. The previous record of 45.92 seconds was older than Wilson, standing since 2004.
Last year, Wilson made headlines at the New Balance Indoor Nationals, a domestic championship for the top high school athletes in the U.S., winning the men’s 400m event as a high school freshman (Grade 9). His performance there led him to become the youngest athlete to sign a NIL deal (name, image, and likeness) with New Balance.
His success at the 2024 New Balance Indoor Nationals did not stop there. Later in the day, Wilson helped the Bullis School 4x400m team break the U.S. high school record in the 4x400m relay. Wilson ran the anchor leg, closing in 46.87 seconds only three hours after his record-setting race.
Wilson broke onto the scene as a sprinting phenom in 2021, running an incredible time of 51.78 seconds for 400m at age 12. He has since blossomed into a generational talent and has his sights set on qualifying for the Paris Olympics for Team USA.
He is HIM!
— Noah Lyles, OLY (@LylesNoah) March 10, 2024
The sprinter is also getting recognition from Noah Lyles, who pulled up to watch Wilson’s race at The TRACK at New Balance on Sunday afternoon. “He is HIM,” Lyles posted, replying to a video of his race. Wilson has the opportunity to do something special at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials later this year. He could become the youngest athlete to represent Team USA at an Olympic Games since Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone did so in the women’s 400mH in Rio 2016.
