In epic sprint to the finish, Quincy Hall wins 400m gold

In a smash-hit Olympic debut, American Quincy Hall erupted down the home stretch to take home gold in the men’s 400m final, winning in a lifetime best 43.40 seconds.

“I told you guys I was going to get a gold medal this year,” Hall said. “I know I can win. I knew it today. That’s what I’ve been doing my whole career.”

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Hall’s victory came thanks to an epic comeback. The 25-year-old appeared down and out after 300 meters. He was visibly grimacing as he fell behind Matthew Hudson-Smith, Muzala Samukonga and Jerem Richards. But fighting through pain, the Kansas City, Missouri, native absolutely tore down the final 100m to win gold in 43.40 seconds.

“I was just thinking, ‘Get home, sir. Get home, sir,'” Hall said. “I don’t give up. I just grit, I grind. I’ve got determination.

Anything I think will get me to that line, I think of it. A lot of hurt, a lot of pain.

This Olympic title is also the first for an American man in the 400m since the 2008 Beijing Games, when LaShawn Merritt took home gold. Hall’s time is the fifth-fastest ever in the event and fastest since the world record set by South African Wayde van Niekerk in 2016.

American Quincy Hall celebrates after winning the men’s 400m.

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Great Britain’s Hudson-Smith took bronze in his second Olympic appearance – he previously finished eighth in 2016. Now, the Brit has catapulted to the podium with a lightning time of 43.44 seconds. Zambia’s Samukonga earned bronze, the first men’s 400m medal for his country, with a time of 43.74. Americans Chris Bailey and Michael Norman finished sixth and eighth, respectively.

Hall’s tenacious blitz down the home stretch will surely stand as one of the iconic moments of these Olympics. One month after winning his first national title, Hall has Olympic title No. 1 on the heels of an incredible 2023-24 glow-up. Hall entered 2023 as a 400m hurdles specialist (he was the 2019 NCAA 400m hurdles champion for South Carolina), but Hall elected to shift to the flat 400m in 2023.

“That decision changed my life,” Hall said minutes after his gold medal dash.

Hall announced himself as a legit 400m contender when he took bronze at 2023 Worlds. He then posted the world’s top time in 2024 four weeks ago, posting a 43.80 at the Monaco Diamond League event.

In his debut at the Olympic Games, it has all come together for Hall, who simply wouldn’t let gold slip away.

“It’s over,” Hall said. “For the next four years I can say I’m an Olympic champion.”