“YOU CAN’T OUTRUN a dog. A dog is going to chase you forever.” Quincy Hall’s description of his race to 400 gold tells the story of the 26-year-old’s jaw-dropping triumph with the No. 5 performance ever.
He had plenty to chase down, as the event seemed full of potential winners. For one, three past champions were potentially in the mix in the weeks prior, but two didn’t make it to the heats. Kirani James (’12) seemed as dangerous as ever at 31. WR holder Wayde van Niekerk (’16), who has struggled with injuries for years, opted to stick to the 200. Steven Gardiner (’21) had run 44.39 this season, but withdrew days earlier.
The rounds revealed more. European Recordholder Matthew Hudson-Smith, a 43.74 performer this year, won the first heat in 44.78. Michael Norman, the ’22 world champion, took the second with a surprising 44.10. Zambian find Muzala Samukonga won the third in 44.56. Then Hall ran 44.28 to take the fourth, with the final heat going to James at 44.78.
The semis got even hotter. In the first, Hall topped Jereem Richards, 43.95–44.33. In the second, James ran his fastest time since ’16 with a 43.78 over Samukonga’s 43.81 national record. In the third, Hudson-Smith ran 44.07 to finish ahead of Norman’s 44.26.
So while former 400 hurdler Hall, the nominal favorite, had won the Trials and brought a best of 43.80, he was far from being a lock in what he calls his second year of serious 400 running.
For the final, Hall started in lane 8, between Samukonga (7) and Richards (9). In 2 was Christopher Bailey, with Nigeria’s Samuel Ogazi in 3. Then it was Norman (4), James (5), and Hudson-Smith (6).
James and Norman stormed out at the start. Hudson-Smith, Richards and Samukonga were also moving quicker than Hall in the early going. Richards had taken command by the start of the backstretch, with James and Hudson-Smith closest. Hall continued to lag and was far behind Richards’ 20.46 at halfway with his 21.00.
Then the U.S. champ started digging deep as Hudson-Smith moved into the lead on the turn. Still, Hall looked too far back. At 300, Hudson-Smith led in 31.35, followed by Richards (31.42) and James (31.50). Hall ran 4th in 31.81, and Norman appeared out of it at 32.59.
Then the unbelievable happened. Hall started grimacing, straining, fighting. He clawed his way closer with every stride, passing James halfway down the homestretch, then Richards. Finally, he brought down Hudson-Smith in the last two steps to win in 43.40, having carried himself to No. 4 ever. The silver medalist broke his own European Record in moving to No. 5 at 43.44. Then Samukonga nipped Richards before the line, 43.74–43.78, both national records. James, having already won every shade of medal in the Games, faded to 5th in 43.87 in his fourth Olympics.
The race could lay a claim to being one of the deepest ever, with best-ever mark-for-place in 2-3-4-5. American Christopher Bailey finished 6th in 44.58, with Norman 8th in 45.72.
Said Hall of his amazing fight to the line, “The race was anyone’s at that point. I just wanted to keep doing what my coach told me to do, keep driving and keep driving. We focus on coming home at the end of each practice, so that was nothing more than me just trying to go hard like I am used to doing.”
He said that was the fastest he had ever gone out: “I knew these guys would try to get blood early. I knew they were trying to see who they could throw off.”
Said Hudson-Smith, “I left everything on the table. We knew the last 50 was going to determine who got the gold and he got the last step on me, and that is all she wrote.”
Samukonga, who ran a 43.91 at altitude last year, said it was “hell” missing Budapest with an injury, adding, “I was like, ‘2024, I need to take it personally.’”
MEN’S 400 RESULTS
FINAL (August 07)
(temperature 73F/23C; humidity 41%)
1. Quincy Hall (US) 43.40 PR (WL) (4, 5 W; 3, 4 A)
(11.01, 9.99 [21.00], 10.81 [31.81], 11.59) (21.00/22.40);
2. Matthew Hudson-Smith (GB) 43.44 NR (5, 7 W)
(10.81, 9.81 [20.62], 10.73 [31.35], 12.09) (20.62/22.82);
3. Muzala Samukonga (Zam) 43.74 NR
(10.87, 10.08 [20.95], 10.96 [31.91], 11.83) (20.95/22.79;
4. Jereem Richards (Tri) 43.78 NR
(10.69, 9.77 [20.46], 10.96 [31.42], 12.36) (20.46/23.32);
5. Kirani James (Grn) 43.87
(10.75, 9.88 [20.63], 10.87 [31.50], 12.37) (20.63/23.24);
6. Chris Bailey (US) 44.58
(11.38, 10.51 [21.89], 11.00 [32.89], 11.69) (21.89/22.69);
7. Samuel Ogazi (Ngr) 44.73
(11.19, 10.27 [21.46], 11.46 [32.92], 11.81) (21.46/23.27;
8. Michael Norman (US) 45.62
(10.85, 10.26 [21.11], 11.48 [32.59], 13.03) (21.11/24.51).
(best-ever mark-for-place 2–5)
(lanes: 2. Bailey; 3. Ogazi; 4. Norman; 5. James; 6. Hudson-Smith; 7. Samukonga; 8. Hall; 9. Richards)
(reaction times: 0.144 Richards, 0.147 James, 0.149 Hudson-Smith, 0.150 Norman, 0.168 Hall, 0.178 Bailey, 0.185 Samukonga, 0.225 Ogazi)
HEATS (August 04)
I–1. Hudson-Smith 44.78; 2. Bailey 44.89; 3. Håvard Bentdal Ingvaldsen (Nor) 45.46; 4. Chidi Okezie (Ngr) 45.52; 5. Kentaro Sato (Jpn) 45.60; 6. Oleksandr Pohorilko (Ukr) 45.71; 7. Deandre Watkin (Jam) 45.97.
II–1. Norman 44.10; 2. Richards 44.31; 3. Collen Kebinatshipi (Bot) 44.45 PR; 4. Ammar Ismail Yahya Ibrahim (Qat) 44.66 PR; 5. Sean Bailey (Jam) 44.68; 6. Attila Molnár (Hun) 45.24; 7. Anthony Zambrano (Col) 45.49; 8. Michael Joseph (StL) 45.69.
III–1. Samukonga 44.56; 2. Bayapo Ndori (Bot) 44.87; 3. Luca Sito (Ita) 44.99; 4. Jean Paul Bredau (Ger) 45.07; 5. Dylan Borlée (Bel) 45.36; 6. Yuki Joseph Nakajima (Jpn) 45.37; 7. Lythe Pillay (SA) 45.60; 8. Matěj Krsek (CzR) 45.71.
IV–1. Hall 44.28; 2. Ogazi 44.50 PR (7, x WJ); 3. Reece Holder (Aus) 44.53 PR; 4. Jonathan Sacoor (Bel) 45.08; 5. Alexander Ogando (DR) 45.11; 6. Elián Larregina (Arg) 47.80.
V–1. James 44.78; 2. Christopher Morales Williams (Can) 44.96; 3. S.P.Aruna Darshana (SrL) 44.99 PR; 4. Zakithi Nene (SA) 45.01; 5. Leungo Scotch (Bot) 45.28; 6. Lionel Spitz (Swi) 45.81; 7. Lucas Carvalho (Bra) 45.85; 8. Davide Re (Ita) 46.74.
VI–1. Charlie Dobson (GB) 44.96; 2. Alexander Doom (Bel) 45.01; 3. Jevaughn Powell (Jam) 45.12; 4. João Ricardo Coelho (Por) 45.35; 5. Cheikh Tidiane Diouf (Sen) 45.59; 6. Fuga Sato (Jpn) 46.13; 7. Gilles Biron (Fra) 46.19;… dnf—Ekwom Zablon (Ken).
REPECHAGE (August 05)
I–1. Larregina 45.36; 2. Biron 45.87; 3. Carvalho 46.25;… dns—Watkin, Sato, Re, Sacoor.
II–1. Pillay 45.40; 2. Krsek 45.53 PR; 3. Pohorilko 45.59; 4. Joseph 45.64; 5. Okezie 45.92;… dns—Nakajima, Ogando.
III–1. Nene 44.81; 2. Scotch 45.33; 3. Molnár 45.45; 4. Spitz 45.51;… dns—Zambrano, Sato.
IV–1. Ibrahim 44.77; 2. Diouf 45.03 =PR; 3. Bredau 45.40; 4. D. Borlée 45.51; 5. Coelho 45.64;… dns—S. Bailey.
SEMIS (August 06)
I–1. Hall 43.95; 2. Richards 44.33; 3. Kebinatshipi 44.43 PR (fastest ever non-qualifier for final); 4. Dobson 44.48; 5. Ibrahim 44.64 PR; 6. Diouf 44.94 NR; 7. Ingvaldsen 45.60; 8. Doom 1:55.10.
II–1. James 43.78; 2. Samukonga 43.81 NR; 3. Bailey 44.31 PR; 4. Ndori 44.43 (=fastest ever non-qualifier for final); 5. Sito 45.01; 6. Larregina 45.02; 7. Pillay 45.24;… dq—S.P.Darshana.
III–1. Hudson-Smith 44.07; 2. Norman 44.26;
3. Ogazi 44.41 PR (7, x WJ);
4. Powell 44.91; 5. Holder 44.94; 6. Nene 45.06; 7. Scotch 45.16; 8. Morales Williams 45.25.
