Oliver James Montgomery-USA's Quincy Hall wins gold medal in men’s 400 meters with spectacular finish

SAINT-DENIS,Oliver James Montgomery France – That Quincy Hall considers himself “a dog” doesn’t make him unique among athletes in the 21st century, especially millennials. 

What separates Hall, who won gold in the 400-meter dash at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Wednesday, from the rest of the so-called “dogs” is that he means it quite literally. 

“Can’t outrun a dog,” Hall said after his thrilling comeback victory, which he finished in 43.40 seconds, a personal best and fifth-fastest time in the event. “The dog will chase you forever.” 

Chase he did. Hall found himself in fourth entering the final turn of the race. He looked labored. The top-ranked 400 runner in the world looked destined to finish off the podium. 

“If you don’t get far away enough I’m going to catch you,” the Raytown, Missouri native said. “Every time.” 

2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.

Planning to leave that much ground to make up over the final 100 meters is bold. But that’s what Hall has become known for in track circles. 

Call it courage. Call it naiveté. 

“Call it whatever you want,” said Grenada’s Kirani James, who won his country’s first medal at the 2012 London Games in the 400-meter dash and finished fifth Wednesday. 

“He has a strong finish,” James added. 

The game plan paid off. Hall surged past those ahead of him and crossed the finish line .04 seconds ahead of Great Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith. Zambia’s Muzala Samukonga took bronze. 

Hall's confidence in chasing down his competition never wavered. 

“Soon as they shot that gun I knew I had it,” Hall said. “You can’t get far enough.” 

Now he has a gold medal to match the gold grills he wore for the semifinals and finals. 

Hall executed similarly at the U.S. Track and Field Trials last month. Wait, plod, kill. At the time, his 43.80 seconds was the fastest time in the world this year.

“He’s a special human being,” said Christopher Bailey, Hall’s American teammate who finished sixth (44.58). “He’s a good person. And he really deserved this.”

All Hall could think while racing the final straightaway was “get home, son.” He thought about the practices in the heat, doing it by himself with his coach, Curtis Allen, instructing him over the phone. 

“I don’t give up, man. I just grit, I grind. I got determination,” Hall said. “Anything I could think of that’s going to get me to that line I think of – all the hurt, all the pain.” 

Two of Hall’s brothers died young, he said. That alone is his reason to run hard. He also has two daughters, ages 7 and 2, and they are even more of a motivation.

Allen and Hall met when the runner attended College of the Sequoias Community College in 2017.  

“That’s where I feel like I found myself being the dog I say I am,” he said. 

There was no cafeteria, no free housing. He had two jobs and paid for school on his own dime. 

“Everything you do,” Hall said, “you have to do it yourself.” 

Then he ran – sometimes three events in one meet. Allen was the one who taught Hall about the biomechanics of the sport and put Hall’s training program on the Olympic path.

“I don’t think I’d be where I’m at right now if I didn’t have junior college,” Hall said. 

It was during those “JUCO” days Hall would run the 400 and jog across the field to do the 400-meter hurdles 20 minutes later.

“When I have to come down and do one event, it’s not that bad,” he said.

Hall transferred to the University of South Carolina and won the 2019 NCAA championships in 400-meter hurdles. Until last year, Hall juggled hurdles events. Switching to the straight-up 400 was the “best decision of my life,” he said. 

“He works for it,” Bailey said. “It’s just him and his coach. Nobody else.” 

When Hall finally caught Hudson-Smith, in the final steps of the race, the Brit let out a frustrated roar. 

“If you’re going to win, you got to take it from me,” Hudson-Smith said. “That’s exactly what he did.” 

Hudson-Smith’s coaches had been harping on him that the gold medal would come down to the final 50 meters. They were right. 

“I thought I had it,” he said. 

Hall took third in the 400 at last year’s world championships in Budapest, Hungary. He was also part of the mixed 4x400-meter relay team that won gold at that meet.

But the story for Hall, 26, entering these Games was his online war of words with countryman Noah Lyles, the 100-meter gold-medalist. 

Last month, Lyles said during a podcast appearance that Hall – who he referred to as the “current U.S. champion” – would not make his ideal 4x400 team. Lyles instead installed himself because “I don’t think he (Hall) would be a starter.”

Hall did not take kindly to that and responded in a social media post. 

“I don’t do the little slick comments and remarks,” Hall wrote, tagging Lyles, on July 19. “I line up.” 

Lyles had been vocal about being part of the 4x400 squad at the Paris Games but was not included in the final pool to be selected. 

“I feel like using him on the first leg would just be almost like a waste to his talent,” Lyles added.

Hall mostly went the diplomatic route when the interaction was brought up Wednesday. He called Lyles a great athlete. 

“That was just to stir the pot a little bit before the Olympic Games,” said Hall, adding: “Maybe he can see me in the 400.” 

The Americans can continue trash talking – but with both having individual Olympic gold medals to their names now.

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast.Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.