"Knew something special was gonna happen" - Quincy Wilson's coach Joe Lee slams 'burnout' opinions after 17-year-old sets world record

Quincy Wilson's coach, Joe Lee, pushed back on the burnout opinions after the 17-year-old set a new U-18 world record in the 400m event. Wilson competed at the Ed Murphey Classic in Memphis on Saturday, July 13, 2025.

The Olympic medalist executed a strong start, followed by a steady stride and a remarkable finish to register the U-18 world record of 44.10 seconds. He posted the stunning time to surpass his previous mark of 44.20 seconds, which he clocked at the New Balance Nationals Outdoor Championships in July 2024.

Following his recent feat, Wilson's coach Lee stated that he was confident that the athlete was going to run a great race. He further rebuked the online claims that stated Wilson was burning out by sharing that they had actually planned the season carefully.

"I actually lowkey knew something special was gonna happen before we got here. You know, but it's hard because you don't wanna say anything, but you know, at the same time, you know we have stretched the season out. We started in October. You normally start in September, and we have taken out time. He's actually done less meets this year than the previous two years. So, despite what the internet says, you know, 'He's burning out', you know, we are fine."

Coach Lee also anticipated the upcoming claims while pointing out that the athlete is enjoying the process.

"As we can see today, now I'm sure the other questions will come, 'Can he make it at Trials,' and all this kind of stuff, but we're just having fun. So his training has been on point and everybody forgets that he's still in high school."

Quincy Wilson participated and won gold in the 4x400m relay at the Paris Olympics in 2024.

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Quincy Wilson's coach Joe Lee draws differences between the 17-year-old's training regime of other athletes

Quincy Wilson during the Penn Relays in Philadelphia. (Photo by Getty Images)

Further in the interview, Quincy Wilson's coach Joe Lee stated that while the other elite athletes have more time to rest, the 17-year-old has to attend his school, complete his chores, and homework, leaving less time for him to recover compared to others.

"While everybody on the side has more time to recover, he's gotta get up and get on the bus at six in the morning, and then he's gotta go do his homework, he's gotta do chores because trust me he's mama makes sure them chores are done or she'll shut all this down, right? So, finally school is important, so he can have some fun, he get more rest, more recovery, and just focus on track. When he can just focus on track like this, I mean, there's no telling what he can do."

Quincy Wilson was recently honored as the All-Met Spring Athlete of the Year for the fourth time.

Edited by Anisha Chatterjee