Quincy Hall claims gold medal in men's 400-meter dash at 2024 Summer Olympics
As Quincy Hall made his final turn around the track, his chances of earning a gold medal looked slim. The Gamecock track and field alumnus needed to pass three runners to stand atop the podium.
But as his competitors started to slow down slightly, Hall turned on the jets in a last-ditch effort to win the race. And win the race he did.
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Hall became the first former Gamecock student-athlete to win a gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, earning a first-place finish in the men’s 400-meter dash.
“As long as I can start the race, I know I can finish,” Hall said after the race. “You can’t outrun a dog. A dog will chase you forever.”
Hall recorded a time of 43.40, which is the fastest time recorded in the event across all professional track and field meets in 2024. He narrowly beat Great Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith, who finished in second with a time of 43.44, in the final stretch of the race.
“The race was anyone’s at that point. I just wanted to keep doing what my coach told me to do. Just keep driving, keep driving and get home,” Hall said. “Just grind. Determination. We do a lot of hard practices, and we focus on coming home at the end of each practice. That was nothing more than just me trying to go hard. Just harder and harder, like I’m used to doing.”
Because of this, finishing races has become a staple of his running strategy, Hall said.
“That’s what I’m known for. I know to finish,” Hall said. “If you don’t get far away from the left, I’m going to catch you — every time.”
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The South Carolina track and field alumnus has been among the world’s best in the men’s 400 this calendar year. Ahead of the Olympics, Hall recorded a then-world-best time in the event at a Diamond League meet in Monaco. He finished the race in just 43.80 seconds on Friday, June 12.
Hall has continued that run of dominance in the Olympics, where he has been a top finisher at each stage of the event. He won his preliminary heat on Sunday, Aug. 4, with a time of 44.28 and followed that up with a semifinal heat-best time of 43.95 on Tuesday, Aug. 6.
With the win, Hall became the first American to win a gold medal in the men’s 400 since LaShawn Merritt finished first in the event at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. He was also the first South Carolina track and field student-athlete to earn a medal since Jason Richardson did so in 2012. Richardson won the medal competing in the men’s 110-meter hurdles at the Summer Olympics in London, England.
“It means a lot,” Hall said. “I’ve been putting a lot of work in. It’s my second year running the 400. Last year, I told you guys I was going to get better and better this year. And I guess I got Olympic gold — Olympic champion.”
