Quincy Wilson (Bullis School) broke his own national record in a battle for the ages with Jayden Deleon (Montgomery Blair, MD), running 45.37 to Deleon’s 45.38. This marks Wilson’s fourth New Balance Nationals Indoor 400m title, completing a sweep from his freshman through senior year.

It was certainly the most difficult one to achieve, as he was challenged by fellow Maryland athlete Deleon down the home stretch. Wilson was in lane five with Deleon on his outside in lane six. They were the fastest two qualifiers from the prelims, with Wilson running 46.51 and Deleon 46.96 on Saturday afternoon.

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Wilson got out fast, making up the stagger on Deleon and taking the lead through the break. He passed 200 meters in 21.31 to Deleon’s 21.45, setting up a perfectly timed chase over the final 200 meters against what many consider the greatest high school 400-meter runner of all time.

Deleon sat just behind him and positioned himself to swing wide on the final lap, trying to build momentum heading into the final turn. He stayed to the outside, ready for one last push down the homestretch.

With just 50 meters remaining, Deleon began making up ground on the Olympian. It appeared he might edge Wilson at the line, but Wilson held him off in a dramatic finish, running 45.37 to Deleon’s 45.38. Officially, Wilson crossed the line just .009 seconds ahead.

Wilson’s previous national indoor 400m record was set at last year’s New Balance Indoor Grand Prix with a 45.66. Deleon’s performance moves him to US No. 2 all-time indoors. Remarkably, after everything Wilson has accomplished over the past four years, he was just .009 seconds away from losing the Maryland state record.

Winning the event all four years is a major accomplishment in itself. But after claiming titles as a freshman and sophomore, the field showed no fear attacking Wilson on the big stage — first with Andrew Salvodon in 2025 and now with Jayden Deleon in 2026.

Deleon, who will attend LSU next fall, delivered a breakthrough performance that cannot go unnoticed. He finished runner-up to Wilson at New Balance Outdoor Nationals last year, running a personal best of 46.33 while Wilson won in 45.37. His best indoor performance this season had been 46.86 at The CIRCUIT Philly, and he also ran 32.75 to win the 300m at the NYIS Showcase.

The highly anticipated rematch between the two Maryland stars will likely come at New Balance Outdoor Nationals this June.

FloTrack Archived Footage

Video footage from the event will be archived and stored in a video library for FloTrack subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscription.

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