Quincy Wilson, 16, is the youngest male to represent the U.S. Olympic track team at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Wilson failed to qualify for the 4×400-meters at the US Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon last month. But Wilson’s coach, Joe Lee, confirmed reports to ESPN on Monday that Wilson had been added to the Team USA relay pool.
Lee said he got the call from the US Olympic Committee on Sunday. They made the request for Wilson to be “ready to run any leg at any time.”
Wilson announced the news on Instagram late Sunday, writing in all caps: “WE GOING TO THE OLYMPICS.”
During the 400-meter trials last week, Wilson broke the under-18 world record that had lasted for 42 years. He set another under-18 world record time two days later in the 400-meter semifinal.
“I’ve never been this happy a day in my life when it came to track. I’ve been working for this moment,” Wilson said. “That’s 42 years, 42 years of nobody being able to break that record, and I broke it twice in [three] days.”
But Wilson finished 6th in the finals, failing to qualify for the Olympics.
Wilson’s supporters begged the Olympic Committee to include him in the pool anyway.
“He deserves it,” said Rai Benjamin, Olympic 400-meter hurdler and member of the gold medal-winning U.S. 4×400 relay in Tokyo. “The kid ran freaking well all weekend.”
