CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Quincy Wilson took the world by storm during the U.S. Olympic Track and Field trials and received some life-changing news as Team USA gets ready to head to Paris.
The 16-year old phenom has been added to the relay pool for the red, white and blue, meaning he can officially call himself an Olympian. He becomes the youngest American Olympic track and field athlete ever.
Wilson now attends the Bullis School in Potomac, Maryland, where he is a rising junior, but before moving one state north, he called Chesapeake home. Brent Nieter and Jonathan Doyle got an early look at the future star during his days at Great Bridge Middle School.
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"I knew ahead of time that we had a special talent, but seeing him run that first [race], just the way that he carried himself and the way that he attacked that race, I just knew this guy's something that we don't see very often here," recalled Nieter, the head track and field coach at the middle school.
"I knew as soon as he walked through those gym doors, he was going to be something special," added Doyle, who is the head football coach for Great Bridge Middle School. "Talking to his parents about his track background and him playing football here, Pop Warner locally, I just knew from day one he was going to be special and he caught my attention right [out of] the gate."
Wilson turned plenty of heads during the Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, last week. The young star ran under 45 seconds in the 400 meter dash in each of his three races, setting a new Under-18 World Record of 44.59 seconds in the semifinals. It's been exciting for his former coaches and the Great Bridge community to see one of their own shine on the biggest stage.
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"It is truly remarkable what he's doing," exclaimed Doyle. "He's 16 years old running against grown men. I talked to my coaching staff, the Great Bridge community. We're simply behind him and it's just truly amazing watching him do what he does."
"It's been so exciting, just knowing and seeing that eventually I thought something like this would happen," Nieter said. "For it to happen just two years after leaving middle school is really unbelievable and you could say it's unheard of, and you can throw that word around, but it truly is."
While the coaches enjoy cheering Wilson on, he also provides a great example for the up-and-coming Great Bridge student-athletes. Both say that Wilson is showing those that are walking the halls of his former school that reaching their dreams is possible.
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"It's something we talk about all the time in practice, saying 'Hey, you can do this because people who are literally out here on this track, wearing the same uniforms that you're wearing, have done this and they're going to the Olympics and they're competing at the highest level,'"noted Nieter. "I don't know how much more motivation you could get as an athlete."
"I probably use Quincy as an example at least once a day," Doyle added. "It doesn't matter if it's to my own children or it's our football team, or even anybody that walks the halls of Great Bridge Middle School, he's a true inspiration."
Both Nieter and Doyle expect there to be watch parties in the area to cheer on Wilson, as well as Grant Holloway. The latter is another Great Bridge Middle School alumnus who graduated from Grassfield High School. Holloway will run in the 110 meter high hurdles in Paris and is one of the favorites to take home the gold medal.
No announcement has been made about which relays Wilson will run as of yet.
