Quincy Hall shows sheer grit to win Olympic 400m gold

PARIS – Quincy Hall became the fourth-fastest 400m runner in history on Aug 7, when he captured Olympic gold in 43.40 seconds to end a 16-year drought for the United States in the event and declared that it was “grit” that got him over the line.

The 26-year-old lunged at the line to pip Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith, who set a European record of 43.44sec, with Zambia’s Muzala Samukonga taking bronze in 43.74sec.

For the first time ever, five athletes went below 44 seconds in the same race – including Trinidadian Jereem Richards (43.78sec) and Grenada’s London 2012 champion Kirani James (43.87sec).

Hall is the first American man to win the one-lap event at the Olympics since LaShawn Merritt in Beijing in 2008. His winning time was just behind Wayde van Niekerk (43.03sec) of South Africa and the American duo of Michael Johnson (43.18sec) and Butch Reynolds (43.29sec).

“I don’t give up, man,” he said. “I just got grit. I grind. I got determination. That’s what gets me to that line. I think of all the hurt, all the pain.”

Hall, who also said he thought of his two daughters as he crossed the line, explained that the grit came from the conditions he had experienced as a young man and a college student.

“That’s where that grit comes from,” he added. “When you have no food, you got to get your own food. No cafeteria, no study hall, none of that.”

The American timed his run perfectly, coming from nowhere to just get the better of Hudson-Smith, who had looked set to become the first British winner of the title since Eric Liddell at the Paris Olympics a century ago.

“It means a lot,” said Hall, who was only a bronze medallist at the 2023 world championships.

“Last year, I told you guys I was going to get a better medal this year. Guess what? I got one gold.”

Just as in the Budapest world final, Hudson-Smith had to settle for silver. The 29-year-old burst into tears as he spotted his parents, whom he did not even know had travelled from Britain to watch him. His father hugged him and his mother wiped away his tears.

“I can’t complain. Fifth-fastest time overall,” he said afterwards. “I knew the last 50 will determine who wins and he got a step on me just before the line.”

In other finals, Moroccan steeplechase king Soufiane El Bakkali became just the third Arab to win double Olympic gold, while Jamaica’s Roje Stona upset the favourites to claim the men’s discus title and Nina Kennedy bagged a first-ever women’s pole vault gold for Australia.

Three-time world champion El Bakkali timed 8min 6.05sec for victory in the 3,000m steeplechase, ahead of American Kenneth Rooks and Kenya’s Abraham Kibiwot.

The discus produced a feast of high-level throwing, Stona coming out on top to upset world-record holder Mykolas Alekna of Lithuania, who had broken the Olympic record with his best mark of 69.97m on his second effort.

The Jamaican then stole the show with his Games record of 70.00m on his fourth attempt.

The fourth gold of the night went to Kennedy, who cleared a best of 4.90m. American Katie Moon claimed silver on countback from Canada’s Alysha Newman after they both managed 4.85m.

AFP, REUTERS