“Thank you, Lord, for this moment,” Quincy Wilson posted on his Instagram story last month, sounding every bit as humble as ever. “Being named All Met Athlete of the Year is a blessing I don’t take lightly.” And why would he? It was his fourth straight time winning the honor — a streak that says everything about his rise in track and field. Wilson’s journey has been nothing short of incredible. This past spring at the Penn Relays, he ran a jaw-dropping 400m split of 43.99 seconds — the fastest ever recorded in the event’s long history. He anchored Bullis School’s 4×400 relay team to a national high school record, smashing a mark that had stood untouched for 40 years. And the story didn’t end there.

On July 12, Quincy Wilson took things up another level. The 17-year-old clocked a personal best of 44.10 in the 400m at the Ed Murphey Classic in Memphis. Not only did he break his own world U18 record, but he also tied for the 4th-fastest time in the world this year. And get this — he did it against some serious competition, including Bryce Deadmon, Will Sumner, and a few other big names. The Bullis High School star is proving there’s no slowing him down. And now, he’s even caught the attention of a legend — Justin Gatlin, the former Olympic 100m champion, who had some good things to say about the rising phenom.

In the latest episode of the Ready Set Go podcast, Justin Gatlin and Rodney Green were chatting about all the buzz in track and field right now, and soon enough, the conversation landed on the two Quincys — Quincy Hall and Quincy Wilson. When it came to the teenage sensation, Gatlin had some props to give. “What’s the old saying? It’s always next year,” Gatlin said with a grin. “Luckily, next year is this year. So, oh yeah, watching what Quincy has done, I think he and his team have kind of matured enough to realize what it looks like to go overseas to navigate to travel through that system and prepare his body to be able to compete at a high level in a whole foreign country.” The conversation actually kicked off while they were talking about the men’s 4x400m relay final at the Paris Olympics — but clearly, Wilson’s name was too big to ignore.

Rodney Green reckoned that if Quincy Hall had been in the lineup, Team USA might’ve actually broken the world record. Still, a win’s a win — and the US did come out on top in the final. But here’s the thing: neither Quincy made the final squad. Instead, it was Rai Benjamin, Bryce Deadmon, Vernon Norwood, and Christopher Bailey who ran the show. Quincy Wilson was part of the team though — he ran in Heat 1 but didn’t get the nod for the final. That said, Justin Gatlin isn’t giving up on the kid just yet. “I hope that we get the chance to see him [Quincy Wilson] not only make the team, but also be a part of the relay as well. So, that’d be cool,” Gatlin said. With the USA Nationals just two weeks away, Wilson’s got Gatlin’s vote of confidence. And honestly, this isn’t even the first time Gatlin has thrown his support behind the rising star.

Quincy Wilson found the Olympic legend in a key moment 

Despite all his success, Quincy Wilson still gets heat online from critics calling him inconsistent. But Justin Gatlin wasn’t having any of it. On a fired-up segment of his Ready Set Go YouTube channel, Gatlin came to Wilson’s defense with real passion. “I don’t understand how you have trolls when you’re a 16-year-old phenom who runs 4.4s and 4.5s almost every time you run. Who can hate on that? That’s crazy to me,” Gatlin said, shaking his head in disbelief. And he didn’t stop there — Gatlin gave Wilson his flowers for the way he carries himself both on and off the track. “Shoutout to Q-Dub, man—Quincy, you’re doing your thing. Love how you’re doing it,” he added with a big grin.

Gatlin also pointed out something a lot of people overlook: Quincy Wilson isn’t just leveling up his own game, he’s raising the bar for everyone around him. “Not only are you changing the game for yourself, but your teammates at Bullis too. Clearly, it’s contagious, because you have so many athletes on that side making their marks of greatness too,” Gatlin said. Clearly, the legend sees something special — not just in Wilson, but in the ripple effect he’s creating.