"Everybody was questioning you"- Justin Gatlin makes his feelings known about Quincy Wilson's massive record-breaking comeback

Justin Gatlin expressed his thoughts about Quincy Wilson's recent races at the New Balance Indoor National Championships, where the youngster won the gold medal with a meet record in the 400m and a national record in the 4x400m. The American athlete expressed how the 17-year-old was criticized for his second-place finish early in the 2025 season at the VA Showcase but managed to register a strong comeback.

Gatlin recalled watching a series of highlights and revealed how he was impressed by Quincy Wilson's race. He expressed how watching the highlights of Wilson's race which had 50 Cent's 'Many Men' playing in the background made him feel like it was a movie.

Furthermore, Justin Gatlin expressed that a movie about Quincy Wilson would be great to watch considering his massive achievements at such a young age which include an Olympic gold medal as well as running the 400m under 45s three times in the previous season. The former Olympic gold medalist lauded Wilson for making a strong comeback despite facing a lot of criticism after an early loss.

"I'm sitting here watching these highlights. I came across this highlight that's playing 50 Cent 'many men' with Quincy right running this race. In my mind all I'm thinking is, 'I need to see this movie' and this kid is just in high school like he hasn't even turned pro yet for real and I'm curious to see the layout to see how this movie would run because it would be a great track movie bro," he said.

"You got your mentor in Vernon. You got the gold medal, you went to the Olympics. You ran 44 three times through the prelims, semis, and finals of the Olympic trials, you got that L and everybody was questioning you. You came back bigger, better than ever," he added.

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Quincy Wilson on handling criticism and doubts

Quincy Wilson competes in the men's 4x400m relat at the Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 14 - Source: Getty

Quincy Wilson spoke about facing challenges and doubts in an interview with Citius Mag. He revealed how a lot of people had doubted his abilities and told him that he could not compete in the Olympics as a 16-year-old; however, by having a strong mindset along with self-belief, he could prove them all wrong.

"Don't put limits on yourself. I mean, there were a lot of people who said like I couldn't go to the Olympics at 16 years old, I couldn't run through the rounds, I couldn't do this, I couldn't do that. But just having your own mindset and saying what you're going to do, I think that is the most important thing because you are the only one that can go out there and control it. So, just focus on what you can do and just hope that they all work out and pray for it," he said.

Furthermore, he expressed how he focuses on the aspects that are under his control and hopes to achieve the best outcome. Wilson hopes to continue his momentum as he transitions to the outdoor track season.