Quincy Hall became the latest American to electrify Olympic track and field with an out-of-nowhere comeback Wednesday night, sprinting from far behind in the 400 meters to reel in three runners and capture the gold medal.
Hall, buried in fourth place as the runners rounded the last bend, outran the runner on his outside, then two more to the inside to cross the line in 43.40 seconds, the fourth-fastest time ever.
Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith took silver, finishing in 43.44 seconds and Muzala Samukonga of Zambia won bronze, finishing in 43.74 seconds.
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Hall celebrated his improbable comeback by collapsing on the track and making a snow angel motion.
“I’ve got determination,” Hall said. “That’s what got me to that line. A lot of hurt, a lot of pain.”
The only other American in the race, Michael Norman, finished last.
Hall is the first American since LaShawn Merritt in 2008 to capture gold in the one-lap race. His victory came an evening after American Cole Hocker came from far behind late to beat the favorites in the men’s 1,500.
Earlier Wednesday, the often-routine qualifying rounds at Olympic track and field took some strange turns with a four-man pileup in one men’s 5,000-meter heat, a cameraman who walked into the other and drama in the high jump that left the defending co-champions in dire straits.
