16-year-old Quincy Wilson, with his performance at the US Olympic trials, has turned out to be one of the rising stars amongst track and field athletes. But the young athlete now faces the dilemma of choosing between turning pro and going to college, and track veterans Justin Gatlin and Rodney Green had some words of advice to share.
Right from the beginning, Wilson impressed the world with his terrific speed, which got him a ticket to Paris. With his epic performance during the 4x400m heats, the 16-year-old soon made a fanbase of his own, who looked forward to his future in the sport.
Like every young athlete who has had to go through the dilemma of participating in the NCAA or taking the plunge and going pro, Wilson has also been debating his future career choices. Gatlin and Green discussed this subject on their podcast ‘Ready Set Go’ and gave their insights on what his plan of action should look like.
Both veterans agreed that while going pro immediately might seem enticing, they believed that Wilson was leaning towards joining college. This was because of his recent university visits that teased the chance of an NCAA debut after the Olympics. And that, in their opinion, was the smarter approach to go with for an athlete like him.
While Wilson might be a child prodigy with his skills on the track, there was no denying that he would have to compete at a higher level eventually. And people whom he looked up to as idols might turn into some of his biggest challenges on the field.
“You may have one or two that may be cool with you, but everybody ain’t really messing with you like that. So you go from real deal – your idols becoming your rivals.”
They also felt that the young athlete needed a taste of all kinds of competitions before finally going pro. And for that, at least a year in college could work out well for the purpose, where Wilson would get to test his abilities against others and use that experience in the future.
So far, the 16-year-old visited Texas A&M to check out the campus, do some photoshoots, and get a feeling of college spirit. While things are still unplanned, Wilson’s decision will surely lead to some interesting outcomes in the track and field world.
