Quincy Wilson, the 17-year-old teenage sprint sensation from Potomac, Maryland, continued his ascent up the global pecking order on Saturday at the Ed Murphey Classic in Memphis, Tennessee, clocking a new world under-18 record in the 400 meters in 44.10 seconds.

The performance, which bettered Wilson’s former U18 best of 44.20 from last year at the Holloway Pro Classic, moved the rising high school senior and Olympic gold medalist to No. 4 in the world at the distance.

Wilson, who attends the Bullis School, is inching closer to the outright world U20 record, which stands at 43.87 seconds and last went down in 1988 at the Seoul Olympics from American Steve Lewis, who won the gold medal at the age of 19.

“Staying to my coach’s plan and trusting his process,” Wilson told FloTrack afterward. “I feel like this season is really starting to come upon what I’ve been working for right now.”

Wilson represented the United States last August at the Paris Olympics – becoming the youngest U.S. track and field Olympian ever – and contributed to the men’s 4×400 relay, earning his first gold medal when the team placed first in the final.

Wilson’s star has only risen since then.

On Saturday, he even encountered both fans on both sides of the fence (aka hecklers).

“I feel like when it comes with being who I am, the fame and everything has gone up and escalated,” said Wilson, who has 393,000 followers on Instagram. “I’m just thankful for it. Every single part of it. You’ll have the goods and you’ll have the bad. But those are the things that make Quincy Wilson.”

The Maryland star, who has yet to determine whether he will compete in college or turn pro, says he’s learned to adapt to the price of fame.

Quincy Wilson’s Season Has Been A Steady Path Forward

Heading into his outing on Saturday, Wilson last raced three weeks ago at New Balance Nationals Outdoor, a domestic high school championship pitting thousands of the top preps against one another in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Wilson, who is repped by New Balance, won his fifth overall championship at the distance between the outdoor and indoor seasons and clocked a time of 45.37 seconds. He also anchored his Bullis School program to another win in the 4×400 relay.

But ostensibly, he last made a major impression in April at the Penn Relays when he split 43.99 seconds in the Championship of America 4×400. His anchor performance, which led to a second-place finish against the highly-favored Jamaican program Kingston College, was the fastest split ever recorded at the competition for a high school student.

With the U.S. Outdoor Championships approaching at the end of the month, Wilson finds himself in a position to compete for a spot at the World Championships in Tokyo. Last year, he finished fifth at the U.S. Olympic Trials at 400 meters and shined over the three rounds, running times of 44.66, 44.59 and 44.94.

His effort on Saturday ranks him third-best in the U.S. over the 2025 campaign.

“We practice like we want to come out here and run a great time every time,” Wilson said.

What’s Next On The Season For Quincy Wilson

The teenager has another three-week block on his schedule before the opening of the men’s 400 meter first round at U.S. Outdoors. Wilson said afterward that his goal is to return to training and focused on the mission ahead–wherever that takes him.

“We have to go to the lab and see where things are,” Wilson said. “And then I’ll probably talk to him (Bullis coach Joe Lee) and my coach will give me the final say on what we’ll do on this training block.”

In the spotlight since the age of 15, Wilson is aware of where his career is taking him.

But he continues to say all the right things.