Quincy Hall Secures Historic Gold in Men’s 400m at Olympics
In a stunning debut at the Olympics, American sprinter Quincy Hall surged down the final stretch to clinch the gold medal in the men’s 400m final. This victory marks Hall’s first Olympic title and the first gold for an American man in the 400m since LaShawn Merritt’s win at the 2008 Beijing Games. Hall’s triumph…
In a stunning debut at the Olympics, American sprinter Quincy Hall surged down the final stretch to clinch the gold medal in the men’s 400m final. This victory marks Hall’s first Olympic title and the first gold for an American man in the 400m since LaShawn Merritt’s win at the 2008 Beijing Games.
Hall’s triumph was the result of a remarkable comeback. At 25, the Kansas City native appeared to be out of contention after the 300-meter mark. Grimacing in pain, Hall trailed behind Great Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith, Zambia’s Muzala Samukonga, and Trinidad and Tobago’s Jerem Richards. However, Hall dug deep and powered through the last 100 meters, finishing in a time of 43.40 seconds. This performance ranks as the fifth-fastest ever in the event and the fastest since South African Wayde van Niekerk set the world record in 2016.
The gold medal not only highlights Hall’s tenacity but also adds to the U.S. sprinting legacy, marking the first time since the 2004 Athens Olympics that the country has won multiple sprint gold medals. Back then, the U.S. swept the 100m, 200m, and 400m events with Justin Gatlin, Shawn Crawford, and Jeremy Wariner respectively.
Hudson-Smith secured silver with a time of 43.44 seconds in his second Olympic appearance, a significant improvement from his eighth-place finish in 2016. Samukonga earned bronze with a time of 43.74 seconds, marking Zambia’s first medal in the men’s 400m. American athletes Chris Bailey and Michael Norman finished sixth and eighth, respectively.
Hall’s spectacular finish will be remembered as one of the iconic moments of the Olympics. His journey to this point has been extraordinary. After winning his first national title just a month ago, Hall has now claimed an Olympic gold medal. Initially a 400m hurdles specialist—winning the 2019 NCAA 400m hurdles championship for South Carolina—Hall decided to switch to the flat 400m in 2023.
Reflecting on his decision to shift focus, Hall humorously remarked, “[Norway’s] Karsten [Warholm] running 45 seconds, then it was just, yeah, it’s time for me to leave.”
This strategic move has proven to be incredibly successful. Hall made his mark as a serious 400m contender by winning bronze at the 2023 World Championships. He then recorded the world’s best time of 2024 with a 43.80-second finish at the Monaco Diamond League event.
In his Olympic debut, Hall has cemented his status as a top-tier athlete, demonstrating resilience and determination to secure gold.
