USA Track & Field must submit its roster by July 7, at which time Wilson’s spot will be official. If he runs in Paris, he would become the youngest male U.S. track and field Olympian in history. He would replace Arthur Newton, who was 17 when he competed in the steeplechase in 1900, according to U.S. Olympic historian Bill Mallon.
Wilson finished sixth in the 400-meter final Monday after a remarkable weekend in which he twice broke what had been a 42-year-old American record. He ran one lap around the Hayward Field track in 44.66 seconds in the opening round, 44.59 seconds in the semifinals and 44.94 seconds in the final, placing him among the fastest sprinters in the country before he even acquired a driver’s license. Quincy Hall won that race in 44.17, followed by Michael Norman (44.41) and Chris Bailey (44.42).
“All I know is I gave everything that I had and then some,” Wilson said after the final. “I can’t go back and be disappointed. At the end of the day, I’m 16 running grown-man times.”
Making the Olympics at 16 years old may have been a dream, but for Wilson it’s no fantasy.
“He’s not a pro yet, although mentally he’s right there with the best of them,” Lee said during the trials. “He’s not afraid when he comes in here. He’s not intimidated. He believes he belongs because he does. We knew [faring well at the trials] was possible.”
