Quincy Hall became the first American to win the Olympic 400-meter title in 12 years on Wednesday, overtaking early leader Matthew Hudson-Smith in his final two strides to prevail in a personal best of 43.40.
Hudson-Smith of Great Britain won silver in 43.44 and Muzala Samukonga of Zambia got the bronze in 43.74. Both men set national records, as did Jereem Richards of Trinidad and Tobago, who placed fourth in 43.78.
Americans Christopher Bailey and Michael Norman placed sixth and eighth, respectively, in the eight-man field.
Hall was fourth entering the final straight. Hudson-Smith had daylight over the rest of the field. But Hall, Samukonga, and Richards never relented and inched toward the Brit. Grimacing, clawing, almost pinwheeling, Hall had the momentum in the final 10 meters to overtake Hudson-Smith, second at last year’s world championships, with inches to spare.
Hall’s win is a return to former form for U.S. 400-meter runners. Between 1984 and 2008, U.S. runners won 16 of 21 possible Olympic medals in the event, including all seven golds. But in the three Games between 2012 and 2021, there was only one U.S. medal, bronze by LaShawn Merritt in 2016.
Speaking of event history, a shout out to Kirani James of Grenada. The 31-year-old won gold in 2012, silver in 2016, and bronze in 2021. Tonight he placed fifth in 43.87, just .13 seconds off of his personal best.
Scott is a veteran running, fitness, and health journalist who has held senior editorial positions at Runner’s World and Running Times. Much of his writing translates sport science research and elite best practices into practical guidance for everyday athletes. He is the author or coauthor of several running books, including Running Is My Therapy, Advanced Marathoning, and What It Was Like to Run Marathon Pour Tous. Scott has also written about running for Slate, The Atlantic, the Washington Post, and other members of the sedentary media. His lifetime running odometer is past 110,000 miles, but he’s as much in love as ever.
