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The 2004 Olympic champion has advised Quincy Wilson against turning professional at his age, pointing out some of the challenges that he is bound to face.
American sprint legend Justin Gatlin has explained why Quincy Wilson should not turn professional just yet.
The 2004 Olympic champion pointed out that Quincy Wilson has yet to experience what it is like racing at the NCAA competitions and his mental strength might not be 100% ready for what to expect once he goes professional.
Justin Gatlin added that despite the young Olympic champion having already posted faster times this season, there are things he needs to learn from being a college athlete that will help him learn to manoeuvre when he goes professional.
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22:00 - 20.10.2024
'I pushed Bolt to another level' — Veteran Jamaican sprinter makes eye-opening claim about his role in world records
Veteran Jamaican star Yohan Blake has declared himself the best 200m runner ever, reflecting on career regrets and missed opportunities.
“The crazy thing is those introductions, you being a young athlete inspired by them but once you turn professional, the other pro athletes who were inspiring you change their tone. It’s a tough one, I think he should experience every level, a bit of it,” Justin Gatlin said on his Ready Set Go podcast.
“Could be in the sights I mean the times he’s run this season, he would have won the NCAA already anyway, and he has run faster than any collegiate athlete. What does that look like when you get to college? You already know what college is, every year it’s going to be somebody new and there’s going to be somebody running fast,” he added.
Justin Gatlin was also quick to note that if he decided to turn professional, it would not be a bad idea since he has already mastered some of the things on the track. The four-time world champion explained that after being at the Olympic Games, Quincy Wilson has definitely learnt a lot of things that other athletes, even those in college, don’t know anything about.
The two-time Olympic silver medallist, however, advised Wilson to go to college even if it would be for one year, before making the decision to focus on athletics as his sole career.
“I think it’s a gamble, he already has his persona, and he already has a star quality because he is a high school kid who really went to the Olympics and won a gold medal. I think for him, it should be, his sights in the near future, it should be going pro. If he does go to college, he can go a one-year, I think a one-and-done kind of situation. That would put him in a good situation to understand competing from a high school to even a college level and then going pro,” Justin Gatlin said.
On his part, Justin Gatlin’s podcast co-host Rodney Green explained that turning professional requires a mental fortitude that Quincy Wilson has yet to master. The Bahamian retired sprinter revealed that once you turn pro, your mentors turn into rivals and for a young athlete to thrive in such a space they need to be prepared for such.
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16:30 - 18.10.2024
Retired Bahamian sprinter warns Noah Lyles on distractions that could hinder his performance in 2025
The retired sprinter advised Noah Lyles on how he can defend his 100m and 200m titles at the 2025 World Championships, warning that distractions could hinder his performance against rising competition.
He added that anything can happen when an athlete turns professional including losing races, something that Quincy Wilson might not be ready for. He added that track and field is very brutal to people who do not perform and the youngster coming from being a household name to just any athlete will damage him mentally.
“What happens is, when you’re that young, and I’ve seen that happen to someone before, who was a child prodigy, you know, the people who you look up to, they are as cool with you as long as you are not a threat to food on their table,” Rodney Green said.
“They are going to encourage you, they’re going to wish you along but once you become a threat, no longer. They understand, hey payboy, this breakdown is what we shall be fighting for. I’m warming up, don’t talk to me, do your own thing, you may have one or two that may be cool with you, but not everybody will be really messing with you like that so you go from your idols becoming your rivals.”
"There is a maturity level that comes with turning pro and I think I said it before, I feel like that young man should be in a room where he understands what he will be up against."
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