American sprinter Quincy Hall claimed the gold medal in the men’s 400-meter dash on Thursday, defeating Great Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith and Zambia’s Muzala Samukonga with a personal best time of 43.40 seconds.
Hall executed a remarkable sprint in the final stretch to overtake Hudson-Smith just before the finish line. Known for his resilience and speed, Hall had previously finished third in the event at last year’s world championships. He was also a key member of the mixed 4×400-meter relay team that secured a gold medal at that meet.
However, Hall’s performance at these Games is not the only reason he’s making headlines. The 26-year-old was recently involved in an online dispute with fellow American sprinter Noah Lyles, the 100-meter gold medalist.
In a podcast appearance last month, Lyles made comments suggesting that Hall, whom he referred to as the “current U.S. champion,” would not be a part of his ideal 4×400-meter relay team. Lyles expressed doubt about Hall’s suitability for the starting leg, stating, “I don’t think he (Hall) would be a starter.”
Lyles added, “I feel like using him on the first leg would just be almost like a waste to his talent.”
Hall, who posted the second-fastest time of the year at the U.S. track and field trials in June with a time of 43.80 seconds, did not take Lyles’s comments lightly.
“I don’t do the little slick comments and remarks,” Hall responded, tagging Lyles on social media on July 19. “I line up.”
Lyles had voiced his disappointment over not being part of the 4×400 squad at the Paris Games but ultimately was not included in the final lineup.
With his latest victory, Hall has a compelling retort to the ongoing trash talk: “The Americans can continue trash talking – but with individual Olympic gold medals to their names now.”
