"She’ll say ‘You’re not focused'"- Quincy Wilson reveals real reason behind his drive to succeed in track and field

Quincy Wilson shared that his mother, Monique, played an integral role in keeping his drive to succeed alive. Wilson had a successful 2024, winning his first Olympic gold and becoming the youngest track and field athlete to achieve so in Paris.

Quincy Wilson hails from a family of athletes, as his father played football in his prime years, and his mother was associated with basketball and soccer. His parents, Roy and Monique, recognized their child's athletic pursuits early on and relocated from Chesapeake, Va., to Gaithersburg, Md., so that he could train at the Bullis School.

Over the years, Wilson earned recognition for his track performances at the high school level. Having broken several records, he competed at the 2024 Olympic trials and broke the under-18 world record to secure a spot in the 4x400m relay roster. In the finals, he bagged his first Olympic gold after contributing time in the heats.

In a recent conversation with Forbes, the Bullis High School athlete shared that his drive to succeed comes from his mother because she always keeps him in check.

"She says all the time, ‘Stay focused.’” If she sees me doing something – if I’m on my phone watching Tik Tok and I don’t answer – she’ll say ‘You’re not focused.’”

Wilson has been excelling in academics as well. He never earned a score less than 94 or anything other than As. Talking about how he always seeks perfection beyond the track, he said:

"The feeling you get when you have a bad grade, I just can’t live with that feeling. A lot of people say, ‘Quincy, you can just go out there and just do anything in the classroom.’ But I can’t live with that feeling."

The 17-year-old received the USATF Youth Athlete of the Year for his performance in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Quincy Wilson revealed that losses and setbacks often fuel him to achieve greatness on the track

Quincy Wilson at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix - (Source: Getty)

Quincy Wilson started his 2025 season with a loss to Andrew Salvadon at the Virginia Showcase. Instead of losing hope, he persevered and showed his prowess at the New Balance Grand Prix, achieving a career best and breaking the high school national record in 400m. He followed up by retaining his indoor 400m title at the New Balance National Indoors.

Sharing how staying focused on the goal and performing with confidence helped him achieve success, the 17-year-old said:

"Just coming in with confidence I think can be the best thing because you have to attack those days you don’t feel like going up that last hill … but knowing you had a purpose and a goal, I feel like you know where it got you.” (via Forbes)

His 400m title-winning at the New Balance Nationals Indoor in 2024 could earn him fourth place at the World Athletics Indoor Championships.