Wilson’s rivals — those who can legally drive and vote — will have to face him off again. For the second time in three days, Wilson, a senior at Bliss School who has burst onto the national sports scene, ran a historic lap to advance to the 400-meter final at Sunday’s U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials. On Monday night, just weeks after earning all-A’s as a high school sophomore and days after being named All-Met Athlete of the Year by The Washington Post, Wilson will run one race for a chance to compete in the Paris Olympics.
Wilson ran a courageous race in the semifinals, passing two rivals in the final 100 meters to qualify for the final in third place in the heats in 44.59 seconds. The U.S. high school record had stood for 42 years until Wilson ran the 400 meters in 44.66 seconds in the opening meet on Friday. The record took just one day to break.
“Nobody’s been able to break that record in 42 years and I broke it twice in two days,” Wilson said. “It means all my hard work paid off, staying longer after practice and before practice and all that.”
The Hayward Field crowd cheered Wilson as he took to the starting block in a lavender racing suit with “Bullis” emblazoned across the chest. Wilson tried to conserve his momentum, but the early stages of the race ruined it. After 200 meters, Wilson was in eighth place. He rounded the final corner in fifth place and appeared to be struggling.
“Calm down,” Wilson thought. “100 percent, calm down. I didn’t run the way I wanted to, but like my coach said, the race starts at 300 meters.”
More than anything, Wilson trusted what he’d done, all the hills he’d run and the grueling 300-meter sprint he’d run. He ran the final 100 meters in 12.06 seconds, the fifth-fastest time among the 27 semifinalists, beating everyone but Quincy Hall (44.42), Bryce Dedmon (44.44) and the ever-reliable Vernon Norwood (44.50).
“It’s just my heart,” Wilson said. “Sixteen-year-olds tend to get scared when they go to a big meet. Vernon is 32. I’m half his age. I’m just running for my life when I get in a race. My race plan was screwed.”
The performance validated Wilson’s belief that he could endure the grueling distance of three rounds over four days. “I’m 16,” Wilson said, laughing again. “I didn’t feel a thing.”
Not all competitors have made the switch. Reigning world champion Michael Norman competed in his first U.S. Trials as an 18-year-old. Norman praised Wilson, calling her “amazing,” but was vague when asked if he thought Wilson was a legitimate contender to finish in the top three on Sunday and earn an Olympic berth.
“It’s tough,” Norman says. “There are people competing for money. He’s in the final. It’s hard to say. I think it’s the first time he’s done three rounds. He’s 16. I remember doing three rounds in the 200m and I was exhausted. But the kids now are different. Anything is possible.”
The 400-meter final is scheduled for 9:59 p.m. ET on Monday. If Wilson finishes in the top three and qualifies for the Olympics, he’ll have a unique complication: He won’t have time to take a driver’s course if he competes in Paris.
When Wilson came off the track Sunday, he was greeted by his coach, Joe Lee, who first told Wilson he was proud of him and then quickly began breaking down his race and explaining how he could improve ahead of the next biggest race of his life on Monday.
“I can’t wait for tomorrow,” Wilson said.
