Quincy Hall’s brother Milton couldn’t believe his luck after watching his brother come from behind to win gold in the 400m final at the Paris Olympics.
In an interview conducted shortly after the event on Wednesday night, Milton showed how proud he was of Quincy along with friends and family who hoped the American sprinter would hear his barks from the Halls’ home in the Kansas City, MO area.
Milton, sporting a Royals baseball cap, said: Fox 4NewsKC: ‘Oh man, this is amazing! This dog has taken 18 years to form, don’t you understand? (Mom) Miss Iecia and Quincy Hall have been through the whole creation process.
“I keep saying ‘Oh, man’… God is good. (Quincy) did it for his best friend, Brandon. He did it for his man, Rasheed. He did it for his uncle Tony. He did it for all men.
“This dog is a blessing, isn’t he? God… Quincy, I love you, dog!”
Quincy Hall’s brother Milton described the American sprinter’s 400m final victory in Paris as a “blessing”
Hall won the race by 0.04 seconds, while Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith came second in Paris.
Hall overtook three runners in the final straight of the 400m to secure another thrilling victory for his country at the Stade de France.
He finished in 43.40 seconds, beating Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith by 0.04 seconds; they are now the fourth and fifth fastest men in history over the distance.
“That was crazy, man. There’s a reason I got all these coaches here, man. Because they all had a hand in this man,” Milton said of his brother’s comeback.
“The emotions of seeing that… hey, when (Quincy) dropped that collar, he said, ‘Get to work.’ He said, ‘Come home, son,’ for a reason. He said, ‘I’m that dog,’ for a reason.
“We’re barking in the background for a reason. It’s that dog, come on,” Milton continued before barking once more, also looking excited.
‘Quincy Hall, 2024 Olympic champion. Born in Kansas City, Missouri. (…) I wish I could go there to see him. Put the spotlight on someone else.’
Hall’s latest effort came the night after American Cole Hocker shook up his sport by coming from behind to beat the favourites in a memorable men’s 1500 metres.
Add to that Noah Lyles, whose only lead in his thrilling 100-meter race Sunday came at the exact point he crossed the finish line, and it’s easy to see a pattern of American success on the track at these Olympics.
Hall got off to a slow start but mounted a late comeback to take a lead over Hudson-Smith (far right)
“I’m determined,” Hall said. “That’s what got me to that point. A lot of pain, a lot of suffering.”
The victory came about an hour after Lyles advanced to the 200m final despite finishing second to Letsile Tebogo in her semi-final. Lyles will compete for the gold medal on Thursday.
Things were looking bleak for Hall, a 26-year-old South Carolina star who breeds dogs, as the eight sprinters approached the final turn.
He was about 5 metres behind Hudson-Smith and 2012 champion Kirani James, both on his left, and as they rounded the bend Hall was making up ground on Jareem Richards on his outside. It looked like a good battle for bronze was shaping up.
Arms outstretched and head bobbing, Hall outpaced them all and then stuck out his chest to beat the Brit. Hall dropped to the ground and pumped his arms and legs back and forth like snow angels on a bright purple track in 80-degree temperatures.
“I just wanted to keep doing what my coach told me to do, keep driving and keep driving and get home,” Hall said.
Hall, a 26-year-old who starred at South Carolina, also breeds dogs in his time away from athletics.
Hall took a moment to savour his victory as he lay back on the track after his 400m final victory.
Lost in the chaos was Zambian Samukonga, who also emerged from nowhere to take third place.
Hall is the first American since LaShawn Merritt in 2008 to win gold in the one-lap race the country dominated for decades. He joins Michael Johnson, Jeremy Wariner and Lee Evans among the champions the U.S. has produced in the most tactical sprint program on the track.
“I knew these guys would go out and try and see who they could take out of their race,” he said.
Turns out it’s not him.
The new champion’s reaction upon crossing the finish line: “I just won. It’s over. For the next four years I’ll be able to say that I’m an Olympic champion.”