Quincy Watts was the son of Rufus Watts and Allitah Hunt Watts. At age four, he moved with his mother to Los Angeles where he began competing in age-group track meets. He began training with renowned sprint coach John Smith while at Taft High School in Woodland Hills, California. He was California state high school champion at 100 metres in 1987 and at 200 metres in both 1986-87. He enrolled at the University of Southern California in 1988 and began concentrating on the 400 metres. Quickly moving to world class at that distance, he helped the United States win a silver medal with a relay leg of 43.4 seconds at the 1991 World Championships, one of the fastest relay legs ever to that time. Watts graduated from USC in 1992, winning the NCAA 400 metres in his senior year. At the 1992 Olympic Trials he finished third, although he lowered his personal best to 43.97 in the semi-finals of that meet. At the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games he won his semi-final heat in 43.71 to set a new Olympic record. He bettered that in the final, winning the gold medal in 43.50, the second fastest time ever. Watts added a second gold medal as a member of the 4×400 metre relay team. Although Watts competed for several years after the 1992 Olympics, he never again reached those peaks. Difficulty with injuries and some problems with weight gain eventually ended his track career.
Personal Best: 400 – 43.50 (1992).
United States