Quincy Hall wins 400-meter gold with spectacular finish

SAINT-DENIS, France – Take that, Noah Lyles. 
United States runner Quincy Hall won the gold medal in the men’s 400-meter dash Thursday at the Paris Olympics. He bested Great Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith and Zambia’s Muzuala Samukonga and posted a time of 43.40 to set a personal best.
Hall trailed early but a spectacular straightaway dash allowed him to catch Hudson-Smith steps before the finish line.  
The Raytown, Missouri native took third in the event at last year’s world championships. He was also part of the mixed 4×400-meter relay team that won gold at that meet. 
But the story for Hall, 26, entering these Games was his online war of words with Lyles, the 100-meter gold-medalist. 
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Last month, Lyles said during a podcast appearance that Hall – who he referred to as the “current U.S. champion” – would not make his ideal 4×400 team. Lyles instead installed himself because “I don’t think he (Hall) would be a starter.” 
“I feel like using him on the first leg would just be almost like a waste to his talent,” Lyles added. 
Hall, who put up a then-fastest time of the year at U.S. track and field trials in June with a 43.80, did not take kindly to that. 
“I don’t do the little slick comments and remarks,” Hall wrote, tagging Lyles, on July 19. “I line up.” 
Lyles had been vocal about being part of the 4×400 squad at the Paris Games but was not included in the final pool to be selected. 
The Americans can continue trash talking – but with individual Olympic gold medals to their names now.
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