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Quincy Hall, in the manner of his US teammate Cole Hocker in the previous evening’s men’s 1500m, arrived late to claim the spoils from the hands of a Briton in a men’s 400m at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games where five runners beat 44 seconds on Wednesday (7).
After winning a battle with Grenada’s rejuvenated 31-year-old London 2012 gold medallist Kirani James in the next lane, Matthew Hudson-Smith, who had come into these Games topping this season’s world list on 43.74, looked about to claim his first global gold.
But the rapidly arriving figure of Hall, in lane eight, confounded him with an irresistible finish over the final 30 metres that saw him hit the line ahead of his British rival, who would not even have been aware of him coming.
A jubilant Hall won in a personal best of 43.40, while Hudson-Smith, who ran an admirable and controlled race, lowered his European record to 43.44 in taking silver.
Hall and Hudson-Smith also established themselves in respective fourth and fifth place on the world all-time list, underlining the deep quality of this race.
In a parallel contest, as James slipped back, bronze looked as if it might be claimed by the 2022 world indoor champion Jereem Richards of Trinidad and Tobago, but he too tightened up in the closing stages.
SOURCE: WORLD ATHLETICS
