Quincy Hall celebrates winning the gold medal for the U.S. after competing in the Men’s 400m final on Wednesday at Stade de France at the Paris Summer Olympics.
Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP via Getty Images
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Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP via Getty Images
SAINT-DENIS, France — The American runner Quincy Hall won the men’s 400-meter final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, reestablishing a U.S. claim on the event it once dominated.
It was another dramatic comeback at the Stade de France for the American runners. For much of the race, it seemed impossible that Hall could win it. He wasn’t fast off the block, and he spent most of the first 200 meters race visibly lagging in sixth place.
Even as he came around the bend, with just 100 meters remaining, he was still in fourth place. But he labored to catch up — finally overtaking Great Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith just before the finish line.
“I don’t give up, man. I just grit. I grind. I got determination. Anything I can think of that’s gonna get me to that line, I think of it,” Hall said afterward.
For decades, the U.S. had dominated the men’s 400-meter race, winning seven Olympics in a row from 1984 through 2008. But since then, American runners had struggled in the event, placing third only once.
Hall’s mark of 43.4 seconds was a personal best for the 26-year-old runner. It is the fifth-fastest time ever recorded in the event, which is one of the most prestigious at any Olympic Games. Afterward, Hall removed his shoes and did a victory lap around the stadium, with an American flag draped over his shoulders.
Asked by a reporter at what point he knew he’d won, Hall answered confidently: “As soon as they shot that gun, I knew I had it.”
Hudson-Smith finished in second place, only four one-thousandths of a second behind Hall. Muzala Samukonga of Zambia won bronze.
U.S.’s Quincy Hall (L), sprints ahead of Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith (C) and Zambia’s Muzala Samukonga (R) to win gold in the men’s 400m final at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris.
Andrej Isakovic/AFP via Getty Images
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Andrej Isakovic/AFP via Getty Images
The comeback has become a signature feature of the men of Team USA here at the Paris track and field events. Earlier in the week, sprinter Noah Lyles won gold in the 100-meter after spending the first 30 meters in last place. Then, in Tuesday’s 1500-meter final, Cole Harper seized an unlikely window of opportunity to snatch the win from the race’s two favorites.
Hall once competed primarily as a hurdler. As a runner at the University of South Carolina, he was an NCAA champion in the 400-meter hurdles. Over the past few years, he has put his energy into the 400-meter race instead.
On Wednesday, he called the switch “the best decision of my life.”
He will compete in one more event at this Olympics, the men’s 4×400-meter relay race. The relay heats begin Friday, and the final is on Saturday.