Historical Parallels: Esther Stroy Harper Reflects on Quincy Wilson's Olympic Journey

EXETER, N.H. — The anticipation and excitement surrounding Quincy Wilson, a 16-year-old track prodigy from Maryland, as he prepares to compete on the world’s biggest stage, the Olympics, have brought back vivid memories for Esther Stroy Harper. Now 70 years old, Harper was just 15 when she competed in the 400 meters for the United States at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, making her the youngest person ever to represent Team USA in track and field.

“Oh, yes, this has brought back big memories,” Stroy Harper recently told NBC News. “Every time I see a youngster like him participating and going to the Olympics, it brings back lots of memories.”

Quincy Wilson's rapid rise from a local talent to an Olympic contender has not only captured the nation’s attention but has also connected him in a unique way with Harper. Wilson is now the youngest male athlete to make the U.S. Olympic track and field team. Despite living less than 40 miles apart—Harper in Camp Springs, Maryland, and Wilson attending Bullis School in Potomac—the two have never met in person. However, Harper has closely followed Wilson’s junior career, often watching him compete at events like the Penn Relays.

“I’ve gone to the Penn Relays for the past three years and I’ve watched this young man run, and oh, my goodness,” Harper said with a laugh. “I was jumping up for joy and pushing him through that finish line at the Olympic trials. I hope he continues doing as well as he’s doing because he’s awesome. He is definitely truth.”

Harper's advice to Wilson is simple yet profound: ignore the noise and focus on the task at hand. “Stick to your plan, listen to your coach, and run the race that you know you can run, that you’ve been running all year that’s gotten you to the Olympic trials and now you’re in the Olympics,” she said. “Continue to run that same race. Don’t deviate from that.”

Despite a strong performance, Wilson did not qualify individually for the 400 meters, finishing sixth at the Olympic trials with a time of 44.94 seconds, just behind Quincy Hall, who won with a time of 44.17. However, Wilson set an under-18 record earlier in the trials with a time of 44.66 and later improved on that in the semifinals. A week after missing out on the individual qualification, he was named to the team as a potential relay candidate for the 4x400 meters.

Prior to Wilson, the youngest U.S. males to make the Olympic track team were Jim Ryun, who competed in the 1500 meters at age 17 in 1964, and sprinter Erriyon Knighton, who was 17 during the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Southern California-based sports psychologist Ross Flowers highlighted the mental challenges young athletes face at such a high level. “I would tell them they deserve to be there just like anyone else,” said Flowers, who has worked with the U.S. Olympic Committee, the Los Angeles Lakers, the L.A. Rams, and the San Francisco Giants. “They put in the same hard work, effort, and training in qualifying and making the Olympics. They made the team like anyone else.”

Flowers acknowledged that young athletes often grapple with self-doubt, especially when competing against more experienced peers. “As a younger athlete getting to this level and competing against people that are twice your age, of course, there’s going to be self-doubt or concern when you’re looking at people (teammates or opponents) that you’ve idolized,” he said.

The Paris 2024 Olympics, with the opening ceremony on July 26, promises to be a significant moment for Wilson. In contrast, Harper's experience in 1968 required her to balance Olympic training with academic responsibilities. Her parents, supportive of her athletic ambitions, insisted she keep up with her schoolwork. As a result, she enrolled in a local school in Los Alamos, New Mexico, where the U.S. track team trained to acclimate to Mexico City's high altitude. Harper’s daily routine was grueling: waking up at 5:30 a.m. for a run, attending classes in the morning, and training in the afternoon.

“I was still a teenager and I had just gone into the 10th grade, so they didn’t want me coming back [to school] in the middle of October and not know what was in the classes,” Harper recalled. “I remember that because the high altitude, it’d make you tired. And I was running early in the morning, then had to go to class, had to stay awake, then come back, work out to 6, then eat, go to bed, and do it all over again.”

Harper’s Olympic journey was marked by both triumph and challenges. Although she advanced past the initial round in Mexico City, a hamstring injury hindered her performance in the semifinals, preventing her from reaching the finals. She continued to compete at a high level, winning Pan American gold in the 4x400 relay and bronze in the 200 meters, but the injury plagued her career, and she did not qualify for the 1972 Munich Olympics.

Despite retiring from competitive athletics, Harper remains active, participating in 5K and 10K races and maintaining a daily routine that includes running 3 miles on a treadmill or outside. Her story is one of resilience and dedication, qualities she sees in Wilson as he embarks on his Olympic journey.

“Right now he’s too dumb and young” to feel pressure, the chuckling onetime sprinter said. “He just wants to run, and he knows he’s fast and he trains hard. He wants to show what he can do.”

As Wilson prepares to represent the U.S. in Paris, he carries with him the hopes and encouragement of those who have walked this path before him. Harper’s reflections and advice offer a historical perspective that underscores the timeless nature of Olympic dreams and the enduring spirit of young athletes striving to make their mark on the world stage.