on April 3rd of 2003 the great sprinting Legend Usain Bolt made a very special kind of Athletics history for this High School 400 meter National Championship bolt would Shock the World with a new National prep record of 45. 3 seconds a time that not only destroyed the field in this class one Championship but this was a time that took down the previous National High School record for Jamaica by more than one entire second unlike the bolt that we have come to expect dominating over both the 100 and 200 M this 16-year-old Superstar performed with remarkable ease over this onlap distance down the backstretch we can see this High School sophomore Glide away from his competition making running very quickly seem remarkably easy and even with a finish that probably slowed him down by a few T this performance at the time was the second fastest clocking that a 16-year-old athlete had ever done over the 400 only falling behind the legendary Mark of 45. 1 4 seconds set by Obi Moore in the year 1995 and ever since this performance went down no 16-year-old had ever managed to do what either Obi Moore or Usain bold had just accomplished now we have seen many great teenage sprinters over the years including Aron knighton's records at just 17 years of age when he broke the junior record of Usain Bolt over the 200 met distance but to see such Speedy clockings at just 16 really did seem like something that we might never see again but then 2024 went down and it saw the arrival of an athlete who just might become the future of men's sprinting on June 13th the New Balance Nationals track and field meeting took place at the University of Pennsylvania and this meet featured many of the most talented United States prep runners in the nation just to get to the starting line you needed a solid year of consistent running to top tier results and a level of competitive drive that few high school athletes possess however amongst the massive amount of athletes competing here was one special sophomore from Maryland who was set to achieve something that had not been reached in more than 25 years in this boys 400 meter race we saw Quincy Wilson absolutely Dominate and he achieved a time that took down this field by 1.
28 seconds and with such a dominating run this was already impressive enough but with a finishing result of 45. 1 3 he had just achieved something extremely special that's because this was now the official fastest 400 time that a 16-year-old had ever done and Incredibly this now made him the second fastest u8 athlete in the history of the 400 to do this at 16 was incredible and to take down a championship field like this by such a massive margin was honestly a landmark moment for high school sprinting and even though this was a huge National meet that appeared to to cap off one of the greatest High School campaigns of all time for this High School sophomore Quincy Wilson was somehow just getting started just 11 days later in the opening round of the United States Olympic trials Wilson took to the track once again to prove that he is just built different for this opening qualification round Wilson somehow took the Victory and remember these are some of the best 400 athletes in the world right now but with a time of 44. 6 6 he broke his own 16-year-old world record but he also broke the world youth record that had previously stood with Justin Robinson back from 2019 when he achieved a time of 44.
8 4 Wilson had once again proven his class at the highest level of sprinting but then just 2 days later in the semis he broke this record once again with the time of 44. 59 yet another move in the history books and it is important to note that only one athlete in u8 history had ever broken 45 and yet here we are with Quincy Wilson trotting his way into history like it was just a casual stroll through the 400 met history books now come the finals in the Olympic trials Wilson wasn't quite able to Showcase more improvements but he once again did run under 45 as he placed sixth place in 44. 94 seconds and at this point he now held three of the top four times ever run in youth history and he was still just 16 years old Wilson's Presence at this year's Olympic trials was honestly one of borderline celeberty status countless articles were written about him he was running faster than anyone thought was possible and in a great moment of post Olympic trial success he was officially named to the relay pool and with this qualification he officially became the youngest male athlete to ever compete at the Olympic Games from the United States in track and field a super special distinction that set him apart from anyone else in track Quincy's 2024 season was one of the more remarkable Seasons that anyone had ever seen but still even after his indoor season his outdoor season his outdoor New Balance Nationals performance and these grueling races at the Olympic trials Quincy Wilson was still not done at this year's hallay Pro classic which took place in Gainesville Florida Wilson was set to race one final 400 meter dash of this 2024 season now keep in mind that he had just finished his sophomore year of high school and yet he was set to race against some of the greatest 400 meter runners in the world including will London Matthew bowling to Cory Patterson and the 2021 Olympic gold medalist from the 4x4 Bryce deadmond by every single account imaginable Wilson's chances at this meeting while not impossible at taking the win were indeed very slim but that did not stop him from running what just might be the greatest youth sprinting achievement to ever take place now right from the gun it was apparent that Bryce Deadman's goal was to make sure that he did not lose to this 16-year-old kid as as he already had a sizable lead on the field after the opening 200 M but keeping pace and pumping his arms with all of his might was Quincy Wilson right on the inside imagine being Bryce deadmond In This Moment you've already won three Global medals over this exact racing distance you've been a top of the world various times over the past couple of years and yet there is a 16-year-old on your inside over these final 100 m we had a true battle all the way to the tape and with a performance never previously seen by an athlete at this age Wilson took a famous win in 44.
2 seconds a time that once again smashed his own world youth record this time by 0. 39 seconds in the history of 16-year-old World Records Wilson's time of 44. 2 stands well above the rest of the world in fact if we go by World athletic scores alone you will already find it immens challenging to ever break 1,100 points at 16 however even against Usain bolts 20.
13 second 200 meter clocking at 16 which earned a total score of 1,200 Wilson's 44. 2 scored a remarkable 1,236 points a significant distance at top even one of the greatest 16y old records to ever take place scoring above 12200 is honestly good enough to place you in attention for a medal in a global final that is as long as a historically fast race does not take place such as this year's Olympic finals in the men's 400 but for the most part you will be one of the most competitive athletes in the world and yet Wilson score of 1,236 was such a massive leap in 16-year-old running that it might make him the most talented 16-year-old runner of all time this time of 44. 2 ranks Wilson as the 11th fastest 4 runner in the world this season which is honestly amazing because this was objectively one of the greatest 400 years of all time as we saw five separate athletes going under 44 and we also had 10 athletes breaking 44.
2 in just a few short months Wilson had shattered the notion that running under 45 at 16 years old over the 400 might be impossible because with his record-breaking running almost every time he touched the track the new question is now can anyone break 44 to just 16 even if we place this 44.
