Quincy Wilson makes Team USA Olympic history in Paris

What were you doing the summer before your junior year in high school?

Chances are whatever it was, it did not involve making U.S. Olympic history at the Summer Games.

The same can not be said for Quincy Wilson, who was part of the American 4x400 relay team in today’s preliminary heat. Wilson, who set the track world ablaze with a tremendous performance during the U.S. Trials in June, ran the opening leg of the 4x400 in Paris today during the first heat of the qualification round. That made him the youngest American male ever to participate in a track and field event at the Olympics.

Following the Olympics, the 16-year-old phenom will then enter his junior year at the Bullis School in Potomac, Maryland.

At the U.S. Trials in June, Wilson secured his place on the team Olympic team with a sixth-place finish in the 400-meter final, breaking 45 seconds with a 44.94-second performance. This was followed by his record-breaking performances earlier in the trials, where he shattered the under-18 world record in the first round with a time of 44.66 seconds.

That record had stood for over 40 years.

Wilson’s opening leg clocked in at 47.27, which saw him make the pass to Vernon Norwood with the Americans in seventh. But thanks to strong runs from Norwood, Bryce Deadmon, and Christopher Bailey the United States finished third in their heat, good enough to advance to the Final:

Following the relay, fellow runners showed the 16-year-old some love following his bit of history:

Wilson, speaking with the media following the relay, praised his fellow runners.

“Went with a great team,” Wilson said afterward, “had it on my side through the whole thing. You know, I wasn’t 100-percent myself, but my team came out here and did it for me.”

Norwood joined in the praise of the young runner.

“I was like in the moment because I’m watching a 16-year-old running in the Olympics and making history,” Norwood said. “So I was very proud of him. I’m just looking at him like, “Oh, snap back in it, let me get the stick and get it going,’ I’m super proud of him to come out here and show his grit for us the United States.

“I told him before we went out there,” Norwood added. “I said, ‘Embrace it. You belong here. This is the privilege. Nobody in this world get this opportunity, so make the most of it.’”

Wilson himself posted about the moment on social media:

As for whether Wilson runs in the Final that remains to be seen, but one thing is clear:

This is not the last you have heard about him.