"That young man is tired"- Fans react as Quincy Wilson fails to qualify for 400m finals at USATF National Championships

Quincy Wilson made an appearance in the men's 400m heats and failed to qualify for the finals. The American athlete clocked 45.39s seconds in the heats and finished fourth, thereby missing a spot in the finals of the event and ending his quest to qualify for the World Athletics Championships.

The 17-year-old has been competing since the beginning of the season and put forward some incredible performances after facing a minor setback early in January at the VA Showcase 2025. After winning the title at the New Balance National Indoor Championships, Quincy Wilson marched on to the outdoor season.

Wilson showcased steady improvements in his performances as the season unfolded and recently set a new U18 world record in the 400m with a performance of 44.10s at the Ed Murphy Classic. He then competed in the USATF National Outdoor Championships in the 400m with the aim of qualifying for the World Championships.

The 17-year-old failed to qualify for the finals after finishing fourth against a highly competitive lineup of athletes, which included Vernon Norwood and Jenovah McKiver, among others. Fans expressed their thoughts on social media about Quincy Wilson's performances in the event. Some fans pointed out that Quincy Wilson has been competing in multiple events in the season, which might have led to the fatigue, whereas some fans lauded the youngster for putting in an incredible effort against pro athletes.

"Great job!!! That young man is tired. Hopefully he takes some time off and chose a for college the fall," wrote a fan. "They didn’t manage that Young men well he ran too many races this year.I hope they do better next year or else he will burn out by the next Olympic," another fan chimed in. "I keep telling people, progression isn't linear.. He just ran a huge PR.. To expect him to turn around and do it again here was a bit much.. He'll be fine.. Just not today," tweeted another fan.

Here are some more fan reactions:

"Tough day for him. Too bad," wrote a fan. "Many races this year...legs are likely very fatigued. And youth was not able to overcome that many races along with the high profile stage. He will learn and return stronger and faster! 💪🏾🦵🏾💨" another fan chimed in.

"He’s still young and had a long season thus far. Legs got heavy for sure," expressed another fan.

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Quincy Wilson opens up about setting the U18 World record

Quincy Wilson at the 2025 Penn Relays - Source: Getty

Quincy Wilson shared his thoughts about breaking the U18 400m world record in a post-race interview. The American athlete shared that he had been working on his starts throughout the season and expressed that he was able to execute the race according to plan.

Wilson shared that he trusted the process and put forward his best performance on the track.

"If you go see my races before, I haven't been getting out. My coach has been telling me to stand on process, do what we gotta do, and I went out there and shot out like a bullet," he said.

The 17-year-old hoped to continue to improve and put forward strong performances as he aimed to dominate the track circuit in the near future.

Edited by Adityan Pillai