Quincy Hall Reflects on His Track Journey Following His Victory in the Men’s 400M at the Paris Olympics

Quincy Hall made history at the Stade de France by crossing the finish line first, in the 400-meter finals to become an Olympic champion.

In the post-race interview, as featured on Citius Mag on YouTube, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post interviewed the athlete about his formative years and his path to becoming a gold medalist at the Paris Olympics.

“I have a pretty big engine.”

Hall mentioned that he used to compete in cross-country competitions as a young athlete and later dropped down to 1500 meters, 800 meters, and eventually 400 meters.

He had been a versatile athlete for a long time, and all of these experiences drove him to strategize while running in his current category.

“Just worked on full speeds, and a lot of jumps and stuff so, I always had the strength, and you know stripped up under me trying to get the speed.”

He further described how participating in long-distance competitions, such as cross-country events, right from the start of his athletic career, allowed him to build up the necessary mileage for competing in longer-running events.

He honed his skills by transitioning to different event categories, which helped him understand and enhance his pacing. Upon reaching the 400 meters, he possessed both speed and endurance, which are crucial for success in this category.

The culmination of his extensive training led to him becoming the Olympic champion in the 400-meter finals at the Stade de France, but the journey was far from effortless.

Hall’s tough start to a glorifying season

After the 400-meter finals at the 2023 Budapest World Championships, Hall knew he was on the right track when he grabbed bronze. However, at the 2024 Doha Diamond League, the athlete finished seventh, raising concerns among supporters.

At the US Olympic Trials, Hall surprised everyone by winning the first position with a time of 44.17 in the finals. Despite securing a spot in the Paris Olympics, critics continued to berate him for his slow start to the season.

Hall performed admirably in the 400m final at the Paris Olympics, where he was met with a solid grid at the Stade de France. Every athlete demonstrated great speed on the field, but the American remained in the middle of the pack until the final curve.

While it appeared to be a race between Trinidad and Tobago’s Jereem Richards and Great Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith, Quincy Hall unexpectedly accelerated and crossed both of them just before the finish line to win the gold medal and become the 400-meter Olympic champion with a 43.40-mark.