American Quincy Hall on Wednesday became the fourth fastest man to run the 400m when he captured Olympic gold in 43.40sec to end a 16-year drought for his country in the event.
The 26-year-old pipped Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith, who set a new European record of 43.44sec, on the line with Zambia’s Muzala Samukonga taking bronze in 43.74sec.
Hall is the first American man to win the one-lap event at the Olympics since LaShawn Merritt in Beijing in 2008.
Hall timed his run perfectly coming from nowhere to just get the better of Hudson-Smith, who had led off the bend and looked set to become the first British winner of the title since Eric Liddell at the Paris Olympics a century ago.
However, just as in Budapest last year in the world final Hudson-Smith tied up as he closed in on the line and again had to settle for silver.
Samukonga, who denied Hudson-Smith the Commonwealth Games gold in 2022, also produced a storming finish to become only Zambia’s third Olympic medallist and first since Samuel Matete’s silver in the men’s 400m hurdles in 1996.
The 2012 Olympic champion Kirani James had looked in sublime form in the rounds leading up to the final but the 31-year-old’s legs weakened entering the straight and he finished fifth.
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