Quincy Hall Comes from Behind to Win 400-Meter Race — Then Makes Snow Angels on the Olympic Track!
Hall was one of several Team USA track and field athletes to earn a medal during the athletics events at Stade de France on Aug. 7
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/GettyImages-2165231134-8f76955e5dae4928a9300ff43936b003.jpg)
ANTONIN THUILLIER/AFP via Getty Images
Quincy HallNo snow required for Quincy Hall.
The Team USA track and field athlete did some celebratory snow angels on the purple track at Stade de France on Wednesday, Aug. 7 after securing the gold medal in the men's 400-meter race during the Paris Olympics.
Heading into the last 100 meters of the race, Hall, 26, was in fourth place. He quickly surged to the front of the pack, defeating Great Britain's Matthew Hudson-Smith with a time of 43.40 seconds. The bronze medal was awarded to Muzala Samukonga of Zambia.
During a press conference after the race, Hall said, simply, "When I come out on the track I’ve just got a reason to why I run hard and I bring myself home."
He, too, saw himself come from behind: "The race was anyone’s at that point. I just wanted to keep doing what my coach told me to do: keep driving."
Steve Christo - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images
Quincy HallRelated: Ryan Crouser Wins Historic 3rd-Straight Olympic Gold Medal in Shot Put
Hall also highlighted how he emphasizes "grind" and "determination" in his training and performance strategies.
It was a strong night at athletics for Team USA, who took home additional medals in the men's 3000-meter steeplechase and women's pole vault.
Kenneth Rooks won silver in the steeplechase with 8:06.41, coming behind Soufiane El Bakkali of Morocco. It's only the second time an American athlete has medaled in the event since 1984.
In the pole vault, Katie Moon — the reigning champion from the Tokyo Games — took silver.
"I’ll be honest, when I woke up this morning I felt terrible," Moon revealed during a press conference. "Yesterday I had a headache and I thought I was just dehydrated from the day before … we loaded me up on all kinds of Claritin, Tylenol and all that, and so I knew today was going to be about staying as calm as I could and as focused as I could.
Added Moon, "Even though I didn’t feel necessarily sharp . . . it allowed me to focus in a way that I never have in a championship."
Related: 10 Surprising Rules Runners Must Follow in Olympic Sprint and Hurdle Events
Track and field events continue on Thursday, Aug. 8 in Paris, with Noah Lyles racing in the highly-anticipated men's 200-meter final. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will also attempt to defend her world record in the women's 400-meter hurdles.
To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, come to people.com to check out ongoing coverage before, during and after the games. And sign up for Going for Gold, our Olympics newsletter, to get the biggest stories from the Games delivered straight to your inbox. Watch the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, beginning July 26, on NBC and Peacock.
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.
