The Paris Olympics saw a lot of talent. Many were new, and many were also making a comeback to their respective sport to prove their worth to the audience. However, a certain athlete caught everyone’s attention, being just 16 years old and making his debut. Quincy Wilson stunned a lot of people when Team USA secured that 4x400m gold medal, making him one of the youngest Olympic champions in the Games’ history.

Fascinating, isn’t it? Achieving that particular accolade, for a lot of people, is a dream, but Wilson did it even before reaching the professional scene, as he was still a high schooler. Indeed, he still has a long journey ahead of him, and his 2025 return is already anticipated by many fans out there. The way he has experienced the sport has made him stressed out about a certain aspect, considered a flaw, that’s always complicated, but if handled correctly, it can shape many careers in a fascinating way.

The track star wants to keep things regular

While Quincy Wilson is an Olympic champion, he hasn’t ignored the fact that he’s still in high school. Yes, right after his Olympic campaign, he went to school and lived on with his regular life. Nothing bad in it, is it? There’s a lot of time on his hands to decide about his career and overall life, and he likes to take things slowly; that allows him to think in a broader context.

However, the 16-year-old can also make a strong decision to turn pro at the time, as he already has the Olympic gold medal to his name. Indeed, Team USA will welcome him with open arms, but he has many other ambitions he wants to pursue first, including simply enjoying his current lifestyle. Speaking to NBC News, Wilson opened up, stating, “I can actually enjoy lunch with my friends, go out there and talk, and I don’t have to think about track all the time. I feel like track is a mental sport, and if you’re thinking about it all the time, that’s where you start getting messed up in the head.”

Oops, the secret to track and field success has been spilled. Indeed, track isn’t only a physically demanding sport but also requires a strong mental state to compete in. More than just Wilson, many top athletes stress the importance of mental health before training or competition. Indeed, mental health is important, and staying distracted from the sport by spending time with friends and family indirectly helps him get better at it.

Wilson avoids mental burnout, a common issue among many track athletes, by not solely focusing on track and its related aspects. Keeping up a certain mentality is really important, no matter what the sport and it’s not the first time the 16-year-old has talked about his mental state in a certain scenario. While his return to the 2025 calendar is anticipated by a lot of fans, there’s a certain moment of his career he will never forget.

Quincy Wilson’s mentality amidst finals absence

Quincy Wilson was granted a spot in the men’s 4x400m relay heat round at the Stade de France. He fared well with his opponents and helped Team USA get to the final round. However, the team decided to bench him for the last round of the competition. The stakes were really high in the 4x400m relays, as Team USA was about to take on a rising Team Botswana. 

So how did Wilson feel? Speaking to Underdawg Media’s podcast, he revealed his emotions, stating, “I was very nervous, you know, because you are in that position where you are battling for first and second. I don’t know I was gonna be able to get that medal once I have seen that, once they showed me where the team was.” He was just in shock after watching the final split of the race where Rai Benjamin raced Letsile Tebogo to the finish line. Each stride was just as fascinating and as terrifying to Wilson, as his gold medal was on the line.

But his trust in his team was on another level, which he revealed, stating, “It really was just really, about, um, I knew and I trusted Rai. He is like the other older brother to me. So I knew he’ll get the job done.” Since Wilson was the youngest athlete on the team, everyone saw him as a younger brother. And what’s better than bringing a little brother an Olympic gold medal? Benjamin was the first to cross the finish line in the men’s 4x400m relays, and since Wilson had participated in the event in the heat round, he was also awarded the accolade.