Quincy Wilson, 16, heads to Paris Olympics in 4x400m relay

Quincy Wilson, the high school phenom who was one of the breakout stars of the U.S. Olympic track and field trials, will go to Paris, he His coach made the announcement on social media Sunday.

The 16-year-old from the Bullis School in Maryland has been invited to a six-runner pool for the U.S. 4×400 relay team, his coach Joe Lee said, He told the Washington Post.

The top three finishers in the 400m are automatically in the pool. Quincy Hall won the gold medal, while Michael Norman and Chris Bailey finished second and third. They will compete for the United States in the 400m.

Tradition states that Vernon Norwood, who finishes fourth, gets one of the spots and the final two spots are at the discretion of the coaches. Wilson placed sixth in the final and ran the 400 meters in under 45 seconds in all three of his heats. The relay team will be officially announced later this month.

Wilson will gain valuable experience as part of the relay group, preparing him for what looks like a long professional career that will include multiple Olympics. He has already signed a NIL deal with New Balance.

Lee said Monday that Wilson will return to high school rather than turn professional.

The relay team is designed to spread the load over the three heats. The final, when the medals are due, is where the best will take over. The team is expected to include Hall, Norman, Bailey and likely 400m hurdles champion Ray Benjamin.

Wilson impressed at the US Olympic Trials, breaking the 42-under-18 record when he won the initial 400 meters in 44.66 seconds, then breaking that mark two days later in the semifinals, clocking 44.59 seconds. Only 23 men have run the 400 meters faster in 2024, and all of them are older than Wilson. His time fell to 44.94 in the final, but his strong performance in the last 100 meters moved him to sixth place, which was of great importance to the relay team.

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(Photo: Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard/USA Today)