At the 2012 Olympic Trials, Young threw the discus in the first round to take an early lead. From there, he steadily improved throwing in the second round, in the fourth and in the sixth and final round. He placed third and made the 2012 United States Olympic Team. As it turned out, his first round throw would have also been good enough for the third and final qualifying spot. "It’s been a really long road to try to get here," he remarked. "More than anything else, I’m relieved that I’m finally on the team."