This former USC Gamecocks runner looks strong to win a gold medal at Paris Olympics
Speed is everywhere at the Olympic Games. One prime example of that is former South Carolina Gamecocks runner Quincy Hall.
Before he even went to college, eyes were on Hall when he captured the 2017 U20 Pan American Games 400-meter hurdles title. The 26-year-old transferred from the College of the Sequoias in Visalia, California, to South Carolina, where he jumped onto the Division I scene and made his name known very quickly.
He was a 2019 Outdoor All-American in 400 hurdles, Indoor 400 All-American and Indoor and Outdoor All-American in the 1,600 relay, finishing off a storybook season by winning the NCAA 400 hurdles title. In his senior campaign, he was a 2020 400 Indoor All-American for the Gamecocks.
“It’s a good joy to be representing them right now,” Hall said, “and the United States.”
After that, he went on to compete at the next level and took the professional track world by storm last season when he won the 400 bronze and 1,600 relay gold at the 2023 World Championships.
This season, he set his season and personal best at 43.80 seconds and set himself up well for Paris by winning the U.S. Olympic Trials to clinch his spot in his first Games.
Coming into Paris, Hall is ranked as the world’s No. 1 in the 400. He put up a 44.28 in his preliminary win Sunday and it didn’t even seem like he was using all his energy down the stretch.
“I felt good,” Hall said after his prelims win. “I didn’t expect to do it on the inside badly but it’s the first round. Some people don’t have the time to make it so they’re going to do all they can to make the semis.”
Between big races so far in the 2024 season, Hall has been focused on keeping it simple — practicing. But he does so in a way unlike most — alone. But it might play more to his advantage than most.
“When you’re out there on the line, you’re out there by yourself, so I mean it doesn’t matter who’s with you in the practice room,” Hall said. “Tell you to go, tell you to stop, you gotta pick yourself up, tell yourself keep going.”
He will look to stay focused on his ultimate goal of ending up on the podium, looking for a spot to qualify for the final in Tuesday’s semifinal race.
Anna Laible is a student with University of North Carolina Media Hub, a program with the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media, reporting from the Summer Olympics in Paris. Laible hosts the Speak Up Sports Podcast. Follow her journey covering her first Olympics on her Instagram (@anna_laible).
This story was originally published August 4, 2024 at 4:08 PM with the headline "This former USC Gamecocks runner looks strong to win a gold medal at Paris Olympics."