It was a day to remember when 16-year-old Quincy Wilson became America’s youngest track and field Olympian. While she later admitted she was “not 100% myself”, she was delighted to be included in the US 4x400m relay team, who will be gold medal favourites, in Saturday’s final.
“It’s an amazing moment,” said Wilson, whose impressive performances this year brought him to these games since he was a high school student in Chesapeake, Virginia. “My family – mum, dad, sister, grandma, her sisters and a lot of family – was in the stands. I wasn’t 100% myself, but my team came in here and did it for me.
Wilson faded in the final 150 meters, finishing his opening leg in 47.27 seconds, nearly three seconds off his personal best, handed to teammate Vernon Norwood.
“I was watching a 16-year-old run in the Olympics at this point,” said Norwood, who is twice Wilson’s age. “I was so proud of him. I’d look at him and say, ‘Oh, get back in there, let me take the stick and go.’
Norwood did just that, running a 43.54 leg to bring them back into contention before Bryce Dedman and Chris Bailey brought the American team home in 2:59.15 behind Botswana and Team GB.
“I’m very proud that he showed his talent for us and put us in a good position to go for gold,” added Norwood. “I told him before we got here, ‘Hey, embrace it. You belong here. It’s a privilege. No one else in the world gets this opportunity. So make the most of it.’
It’s understandable that Wilson still hasn’t gotten over that experience. “It’s not, but when I get home. I’ll probably soak it all in then. The goal was to be able to get around the rod. It’ll be a motivation for me to come back.
Meanwhile, Team GB’s men’s 4x400m team of Matt Hudson-Smith, Charlie Dobson, Sam Reardon and Toby Harris will still hope to win gold after coming second in 2:58.88.
“I’m really wired,” Hudson-Smith said. “I want to be a double Olympic medalist.” We can win. This team can do anything. British record, European record, world record if we dig deeper we can get. Anything is possible if you put your mind to it.”
Britain’s women’s 4x400m team of Lena Nielsen, Jodie Williams, Hannah Kelly and Yemi Marie John are hopeful of a medal after finishing second in the semi-finals in 3:24.72.
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“We have a lot of depth in Team GB and we want to bring fresh legs to the final and have more girls on the podium,” Nielsen said.
Meanwhile, in the men’s 800m Max Burke put injuries and bad luck behind him to finish third in a personal best of 1:43.50.
The 22-year-old ran 1:45 in the teenage event, 17, but hasn’t put together a long training run or races because of persistent Achilles and other issues.
But it was two years before he became the favorite for the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene before suffering a deep vein thrombosis on a flight. And he proves his mettle and qualifies in a stacked field. “I’m still over the moon,” he said. “I thought it was going to be tough going into the finals.”
However, Britain’s world championship bronze medalists Ben Pattison and Elliott Giles both dropped out after finishing fourth and fifth in the semi-finals.
