Quincy Hall comeback: How USA sprinter surged from way behind to win first 400m gold by American man since 2008

There's something about American sprinters and electrifying comebacks in these Olympics.

Days after Noah Lyles came from behind to pull inches ahead of Kishane Thompson and win the 100-meter final in stunning fashion, Quincy Hall followed suit with a comeback for the ages in the 400-meter final.

Hall spent the majority of the race in the middle of the pack or even farther behind, but he found a new gear after turning the corner for the final stretch. By the time he crossed the finish line, Hall seemed to be as much in disbelief as he was thrilled about the victory.

Here's a closer look at Hall's remarkable comeback, including the video of the final stretch.

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Quincy Hall 400m comeback

Hall appeared to be out of luck when he made the final turn in Wednesday's 400-meter final, battling for fourth and running well behind the clear top three competitors.

At that point, it was pure determination that seemed to propel Hall to the front.

He dug deep and found one last surge of momentum, quickly passing a fading Jereem Richards and Muzala Samukonga. That made it a two-man race between Hall and Great Britain's Matthew Hudson-Smith over the final few meters, and Hall's long strides were enough to gain the slightest separation before crossing the finish line.

Hall posted a time of 43.40 seconds, narrowly edging out Hudson-Smith's 43.44. The 26-year-old was so dominant over that last stretch that Samukonga and Richards were simply fighting for bronze by the end and finished comfortably behind the two leaders.

All Hall could do after he crossed the finish line was shake his head. He seemed as stunned as everyone else in Stade de France, eyes wide open in disbelief. Hall put his arms up and then laid down right on the track to soak in the moment.

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The win was not only the first of Hall's Olympic career, but it was his first Olympic medal at all. He won bronze in the 400-meter at the World Championships in 2023.

The victory was also a modern-day rarity for the United States. Hall became the first American man to win the 400-meter since LaShawn Merritt won in Beijing in 2008. Merritt was the seventh consecutive American winner of the men's 400-meter, but the U.S. was shut out of the top spot in 2012, 2016 and 2020, failing to even medal in 2012 or 2020.

Lyles reacted with just one emoji to describe his fellow USA gold medalist:

Lyles, Hall and 1500m champion Cole Hocker now have two things in common: all three have a gold medal, and all three had to come from behind to earn it.